The LinkingLeaders Partnership

A shared effort of the African American Leadership Forum, Coalition of Asian American Leaders, LatinoLEAD, and Tiwahe Foundation, LinkingLeaders focuses on strengthening connections across our networks in order to increase our shared leadership and solidarity practices to advance powerful systems change work advancing racial justice and equity.

Tiwahe Foundation

African American Leadership Forum

LatinoLEAD

Coalition of Asian American Leaders

LinkingLeaders is a partnership uniting a dynamic network of 20,000+ leaders across four organizations committed to advancing racial equity in Minnesota. Representing the rich perspectives and worldviews of Native, African American, Latine, and Asian American communities, we work collaboratively to redefine leadership and create diverse pathways for empowered, impactful leaders.

Our partnership strengthens connections, equips leaders with shared tools, and fosters spaces for cross-cultural collaboration. By creating opportunities for deeper cultural understanding and unity, we amplify the power of our collective voices. Through facilitated leadership development and intentional relationship-building, we honor the unique strengths of each community while standing in solidarity to drive meaningful, transformative change for Minnesota’s future.

Truth-in-History Project | Amplifying Community Stories

TIH is an evolving initiative dedicated to capturing and sharing the diverse stories of place across Minnesota’s communities. Through video storytelling, we highlight the deep connections between people, land, and water, preserving narratives that reflect the rich cultural complexity of our state.

This project is actively in progress, built for longevity and designed as a resource for communities and beyond to explore, learn, and engage with histories often left untold. As we continue this work, we remain committed to deep community engagement, strategic partnerships, and the development of programming and resources that ensure this project’s impact grows over time. Our vision is for this to be a living, evolving project with opportunities for co-ownership and collaboration.

The Truth-in-History Project exists as a space for reflection, storytelling, and connection, honoring the histories that shape Minnesota’s landscapes and communities.

Current Conditions 

  • Historic structures exist to uphold racism, part of that history has been to keep communities of color separate rather than united
  • The 4 Linking Leaders Networks seek to undo those systems and their impacts through a concrete practice of solidarity
  • The 4 Networks understand justice and prosperity for each of their specific communities are interdependent with one another
  • The 4 Networks acknowledge that practicing solidarity does not mean nor require all 4 networks engage in uniform activities at the same time or in the same way

Assumptions 

  • Trust is essential to a practice of solidarity
  • Increased Trust will allow the networks to act in solidarity
  • A framework for practice allows the 4 Networks to do some things together in service to shared success
  • This work is aspirational
  • Honor the interconnectedness of our liberation, recognizing that none of us are free until we all are free.
  • Celebrate and elevate leadership, ensuring it drives transformation across sectors while challenging norms of invisibility and isolation.
  • Leverage the collective power of diverse leaders, demonstrating that we are stronger together—greater than the sum of our parts.
  • Cultivate cross-cultural solidarity, building networks that strengthen collaboration and solidarity across identities and perspectives.
  • Invest in leadership development, not to fix but to amplify, affirm, and unleash the limitless potential that already exists in communities.
  • Foster learning, connection, and advocacy, equipping leaders with relational tools to drive meaningful change while holding space for shared growth.