March 16, 2022 Brooklyn Park, MN — African Career, Education, & Resources Inc. (ACER) will receive $500,000 as a part of the direct appropriations funding approved by Congress last week and signed by President Biden on March 15th, 2022. ACER Executive Director, Nelima Sitati Munene, spoke on Monday, March 14th about the funding at a press conference held by Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to announce the total $17 million in Community Project funding secured for the 5th District by Representative Omar and Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar.
Speaking in front of the media and other funding recipients, Sitati Munene thanked Representative Omar. “We are grateful for the funds that we have received from the Congresswoman’s office and all the diligence that went into securing these funds,” said Sitati Munene, noting the positive impact that the funding will have on supporting pandemic recovery efforts in the diverse First-Ring Suburbs. The much-needed funding will alleviate the stress to communities in the First-Ring suburbs which have been disproportionately burdened by the pandemic. Commenting that, “at the onset of the pandemic it is [our] community members…who provided the most innovative strategies and solutions [and stepped in quickly] to address the impact of the pandemic on our communities,” the ACER Executive Director announced that, these funds have given ACER its first investment into its “Innovation and Catalyst Center.” The Center will foster collaboration among community organizations and community members impacted by the current economic crisis exacerbated by the pandemic; allowing community members to innovatively develop and catalyze community-driven solutions that will grow community wealth, tackle poverty, and close the racial wealth gap.
Our vision is a transformed system, free from racial and economic inequities where African Diaspora communities can thrive and lead prosperous lives. This new initiative takes us one step further to achieving this goal.