Minnesota Transform is a $5 million initiative funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that addresses transformational decolonial and racial justice in the University, Twin Cities, and state through public humanities projects.
One of 16 awardees selected nationally by The Mellon Foundation’s new humanities-centered Just Futures Initiative, Minnesota Transform collaborates with Black, Indigenous, immigrant and refugee community partners to amplify historical interpretations, create new narratives and dialogues, foster community well-being, and inform policy responses. The initiative is led by faculty from the Twin Cities and Duluth campuses. Along with four local and national sub-awardees—Minnesota Indian Affairs Council, Sisseton Wahpeton College, Minneapolis College, and Humanities Action Lab—this initiative collaborates with over a dozen additional community partners. Minnesota Transform creates and supports projects focused on language revitalization, public history, storytelling, and media—including a historic report that reckons with Tribal-University relations.
Other anticipated outcomes from the project include: 200+ student internships (graduate and undergraduate), postdoctoral fellowship, public history projects and exhibits, a Dakota language audio journal, and more.
Interim Vice President for Research Michael Oakes cited the project as an example of how the University’s research enterprise goes beyond science and technology, using innovative and collaborative humanities efforts to engage with critical community issues.
Featured as part of the Vice President for Research's FY2021 annual report to the Board of Regents.