A powerful movement for local economic empowerment and food justice is coming to West Broadway.
On Saturday, Aug. 29, a collective of Northside community leaders, entrepreneurs, and organizers will host The Dozens: Celebrating a Food-Focused Future.
Running from 1 to 5 p.m. between Logan Ave. and Penn Ave., the pop-up street festival is designed to uplift North Minneapolis businesses, celebrate local food entrepreneurs, and bring neighbors together around food, culture, wellness, and music.
Filling a community void
The idea for The Dozens emerged after the City of Minneapolis canceled the Community Connections Conference, an annual event where neighborhood organizations and nonprofits gathered at the Minneapolis Convention Center to showcase resources and build solidarity.
Instead of letting community engagement fall, Michael Chaney, founder and executive director of Project Sweetie Pie and a member of the Northside Green Zone, decided to take matters into his own hands and team up with local advocates, including Shemeika Bogan of the Strong Roots Foundation, to create a localized, street-level celebration on West Broadway.
“Community doesn’t grow if there aren’t somebody there shepherding it and attending to it,” said Chaney.
Building North Minneapolis’s ‘Black Wall Street’
At the heart of the event is a long-term vision to transform West Broadway into a thriving cultural and economic engine. Chaney hopes to see West Broadway as a “North Star Urban Farm and Food Corridor.”
“Broadway is our funky, is our Black Wall Street,” Chaney said. “How do we support Broadway development? How do we support the collective kitchen that has just been opened up on Broadway?”
Bogan, who serves as a lead coordinator for the event’s logistics, shares that deep passion for West Broadway’s potential.
“For years, I’ve heard him talk about like this vision of this Black Wall Street for West Broadway specifically,” Bogan said. “West Broadway is like the place that I’m always just like reimagining, envisioning something like even greater than what’s already there.”
What neighbors can expect
Attendees at The Dozens can look forward to a vibrant afternoon packed with community resources, entertainment, and hands-on activities
- NEON Collective Kitchen Tours
- Farmer’s Market & Cooking Demos
- Organics sorting and composting stations led by youth volunteers
- Live Music & Entertainment
If interested in becoming an event vendor, register through an online portal.