City Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Call the meeting of the St. Paul City Council to order. Roll call, please.

Yang? Here.

Mui? Here. Coleman?

Here. Johnson?

Here. Jost? Here. Kim? Here. Council President Naker? Here. Seven present, none absent.

Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome. Thank you for joining us at our city council meeting. We invite everyone to join us in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Consent agenda items 2 through 27 are before you for your consideration.

Is there anything to be taken off of consent? Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Vice President Yang to approve the balance of the consent agenda. All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The consent agenda is adopted. Item 28, Resolution 26-997, honoring and recognizing the national holiday Juneteenth, 2026, as an annual celebration of black freedom, liberation, and resilience in the city of St. Paul.

This is a really special occasion. We are honored to be passing this resolution and I think also hearing a proclamation from the mayor. So I will look to Ms. Johnson.

Thank you. The proclamation from the mayor is super exciting. And we'll also have a resolution in front of us. There's a couple of folks that I want to welcome up at this time. So Assistant Mayor Baker, but also our lovely winners from the Mr. and Mrs. Miss Juneteenth pageant, as well as we also have Vanessa Ware from the 30,000 feet as well. So we'll go through and kind of go through an order from them. But at this time, all of you guys can come up. A couple of things happening today. We are taking a chance to recognize a national holiday. Juneteenth, 2026, while not only also my birthday, is an incredible celebration where we have an opportunity to talk about black freedom, liberation, and resilience in the city of St. Paul. 30,000 feet, Vanessa Young, Angel Jones from the Miss Juneteenth pageant, the proclamation that is signed today by the mayor's office and presented by our wonderful mayor, Mayor Herr, and our assistant mayor, Cedric Baker, the first African-American assistant mayor here in the city, is important because it's really going to highlight the fact that Juneteenth is a celebration and it's also a call to action. It's a day to honor the resilience, the contributions, and the liberations of Black Americans while reflecting on the unfinished work of building of our community, freedom, opportunity, and belonging in a truly accessible and necessity here in the city. As we gather across St. Paul for celebrations, cultural events, and taking time to spend with our families, I really want to take this moment to encourage my colleagues and everyone in our meetings, as well as the millions of viewers watching at home, that it's important to take time to learn about the history and the significance of Juneteenth and the generations of struggle, courage, and perseverance that has brought us to this moment. We wouldn't have a federal holiday if it wasn't for the literal centuries-long time of when, at one point in our country, not everybody was free. And so our collective freedom is deeply connected. And when we invest in our children, when we strengthen our neighborhoods, when we remove barriers to opportunity and ensure every member of our community can thrive, we move closer to the promise for freedom for all. Juneteenth reminds us that liberation is not only about looking back at how far we've come, but about committing ourselves to the work that still lies ahead. Together, through learning, understanding, and action, we can continue to build a St. Paul where every person is valued, where every voice matters, and every neighborhood has the opportunity to flourish. So at this time, I'm just going to take a couple of minutes to share with you all. I have Angel Jones here, as well as Vanessa Young. We took the opportunity, as you all know, every Juneteenth resolution, we've taken the chance to highlight black engines and black ecosystems, black businesses, black organizations, because Juneteenth isn't just a resolution to celebrate a fact that we have a national holiday, but we really, truly have change builders right here in our community. So I'll start with Angel from Miss Juneteenth and Mr. Juneteenth as well. And I also have Vanessa Young here from 30,000 Feet. Thank you.

Good afternoon, council members, community leaders, and fellow residents. My name is Vanessa Young. I'm the co-founder and director of Programs and Policy for 30,000 Feet. Thank you for this resolution recognizing Juneteenth and honoring the organizations and individuals working to uplift our community. Juneteenth is more than a commemoration of freedom delayed. It is a call to continue the work of freedom realized. It reminds us that liberation is not only about ending injustice, but about creating opportunity access, and hope for future generations. At 30,000 Feet, we believe our ancestors' wildest dreams live through the young people we serve every day. Through arts, technology, literacy, workforce development, and culturally responsive programming, we create spaces where black youth can dream boldly and build the future they deserve. I would also like to give a special shout out to the Juneteenth pageant and the young leaders that the organization represents. Your excellence, your leadership, and your commitment to community reminds us that the future of St. Paul is bright and in still capable hands. This work is especially important here in St. Paul, where our young people deserve to see themselves as innovators, artists, entrepreneurs, and leaders. When we invest in youth, we invest in stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger city. As we commemorate Juneteenth, let us remember that freedom is not simply something we celebrate. It is something we practice. by ensuring every child has the opportunity to thrive. On behalf of 30,000 Feet, thank you for recognizing this important day and for your commitment to advancing equity and opportunity in our community.

Thank you so much.

Good afternoon, everyone. And it is both an honor and a privilege to stand before you today as the representative of the newest division, Division 7, Ambassador and First Lady of Juneteenth, Minnesota, serving ages 40 and up, a seasoned ladies. First, I would like to recognize the visionary behind the incredible movement, Mrs. Angel Jones, founder and executive director of the Miss Juneteenth Minnesota State Pageant, a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering, educating, and inspiring, reshaping the next generation of black leaders. Our mission goes far beyond crowns and sashes and titles. We are builders. We are building leaders through mentorship, scholarships, leadership development, mental health awareness, community service, and cultural empowerment. We create opportunities that help youth and adults discover their purpose, overcome obstacles, and achieve their fullest potential. As we continue to grow across Minnesota, we are proud to be one of the few pageant organizations where multiple generations can compete alongside loved ones. Mothers, daughters, sisters, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces. In fact, I had the privilege of competing alongside my daughter and my granddaughter this year. A powerful reminder that leadership, legacy, and excellence can be passed from one generation to the next. This past year reminded us why our work matters so much. Several of our contestants faced unimaginable hardships, including the detention and deportation of family members. Yet they refused to let those circumstances define them. One contestant dedicated her pageant journey to her father, who was deported, and today proudly stands as our queen Division IV. Her story is proof that resilience, faith, and community support can overcome even the greatest of challenges. That is why Miss Juneteenth and Mr. Juneteenth Minnesota is more than a pageant. We are a family. We are a support system. We are reshaping our communities through mentorship, advocacy, education, leadership, and service. We are committed to ensuring that every participant has access to opportunities, resources, and encouragement to succeed. These remarkable young men and women represent leadership, character, resilience, and excellence. They are not simply just title holders, they are future public servants, future advocates, future business leaders, future policy makers, and future change makers. carrying forward the legacy of Juneteenth with pride, dignity, and purpose. Together, we are preserving history, honoring our ancestors, uplifting our communities, and building a future where every young person and adult has the opportunity to lead, thrive, and leave a lasting legacy. Speak, Zena. Dang. Today is my great honor and privilege to introduce the 2026 Miss and Mr. Juneteenth Minnesota Royal Court, Asmara Constantino.

Hello, everyone. My name is Asmara Constantino. Hello, my name is Asmara Constantino. I am your Little Miss Juneteenth 2026 Minnesota State Pageant Winner. I represent Division 1, age ranges 6 to 9.

Hello, everyone. My name is Winter Frost. I'm Junior Miss Juneteenth Minnesota 2026 Pageant Winner, age range 10 to 13, Division 2. Thank you.

Hello, everybody. My name is A. Lorraine Porter. I am your teen, Miss Juneteenth, Minnesota, 2026, Division III, ages 14 through 18. And today, we are missing Aaliyah Murray, our Miss Juneteenth, Minnesota, Division IV, ages 19 through 24. Thank you.

Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Ebony Wilson-Sinkfield, and I am your Miss Juneteenth State Pageant winner of 2026, Division 5, ages 25 to 30. Thank you.

Hello, everyone. My name is Mariah Hutton, and I am your Madam Juneteenth, Minnesota 2026, Crown Queen. And that is your Division 6, ages 31 to 39. Thank you.

You're sick of hearing from me, Division 7.

Hello, everyone. My name is Isaac Abaton. I'm 16 years old, and I'm your first Mr. Juneteenth 2026 Minnesota State Pageant winner for Division 1, ages 10 to 17. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Jordan Redding. I'm your first state pageant winner for 2026, Mr. Juneteenth, Minnesota. Age ranges from 18 through 24.

That is your royal claim.

Let's give it up again for all of our pageant winners and contestants this year. If you truly haven't seen the work of not only this group, you will see them at Juneteenth events all across the city. Because believe me, one thing I know about Angel, she has them already working. They were already out last weekend at the Juneteenth event in Roseville. So I saw several of them there. You'll probably see them in your wards this weekend as well at Juneteenth. At this time, I just want folks to share with us that we do have a proclamation from the mayor's office today on your behalf. And so I'll hand it over to Assistant Mayor Cedric Baker.

Thank you. Council President Naker, members of the council, so good to be here as assistant mayor. People in Neighborhood Vitality and reading this proclamation on behalf of Mayor Herr, first of all, I just want to say I'm just grateful for the ability to celebrate Juneteenth in the way that we are. I am really appreciative of the city's appreciation of the culture, and I would like to say black excellence that exists, and just grateful to be surrounded by all of these individuals. And with that, I'd like to read the proclamation. It says, whereas on June 19th, 1865, Union soldiers led by General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston, Texas, announcing the end of the Civil War and proclamation... Excuse me, proclaiming freedom from all enslaved African Americans and whereas this historic day now known as Juneteenth stands as a powerful symbol of liberation, resilience and the enduring pursuit of justice and equality in the United States. And whereas Juneteenth provides an opportunity to honor and recognize the immeasurable contributions of African Americans to our nation's cultural, economic, educational, and political advancements. And whereas the Miss Juneteenth Minnesota State Pageant proudly upholds the legacy of Juneteenth by celebrating, educating, and empowering the next generation of leaders within our community. and whereas the miss juneteenth minnesota state pageant organization honors black women and men across generations uplifts black queens and kings as change makers and leaders and foster confidence and discipline through community service cultural awareness mentorship and leadership workshops and whereas the 2026 marks the third annual Miss Juneteenth Minnesota State Pageant and Celebration, which serves as the transformative cultural platform that highlights the excellence, strength, and achievement of Black youth who are committed to leadership, service, and personal growth. And whereas this organization provides a meaningful platform where young Black women and men are encouraged to embrace their identity, celebrate their heritage, and contribute positively to their communities while preparing to lead future generations. And lastly, whereas Juneteenth serves as a solemn reminder of the struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs of African Americans in their ongoing pursuit of freedom, justice, and equality, offers an opportunity for us all to recommit to building a more just and inclusive future. Now, therefore, I, Kalee Herr, Mayor of the City of St. Paul, do hereby proclaim Wednesday, June 17, 2026 to be Miss Juneteenth State Pageant Day in the City of St. Paul.

That is so exciting. I'll just simply close before making the motion, simply saying if you haven't had a chance to come out to 30,000 Feet's new space, it is incredible. It is remarkable and a dedication to their work as well as black leaders in our community. And in addition to that, I would be remiss if I didn't invite you all to join their Juneteenth event from 4 to 8 on June 19. So thank you. And with that, I move approval.

Thank you so much, Ms. Johnson. Thank you to our guests. This was an amazing opportunity to hear more about these two incredible organizations. And I can't take my eyes off your crowns. I know it's not just about the crowns, but you all look so beautiful. So thank you so much for being here and gracing us with your presence. We have a motion on the table for approval. Is there any discussion of the motion? Ms. Bowie and then Vice President.

Thank you, Council President. Thank you so much, Chair Johnson. I just want to give it up to your leadership with celebrating Juneteenth. I know Juneteenth is your birthday, Juneteenth freedom baby, and you carry it proudly and beautifully. I just want to say thank you again, Assistant Mayor Cedric Baker, for stepping in. giving the proclamation and just like the hard work for all of the contestants and the honorees and the winners, the hard work and the vision and the dedication to dream of having a Juneteenth pageant in Minnesota. in 2020 and just seeing the growth and the acceleration of this pageant has just been amazing. The reason why I'm here and not standing there is because I just wanted to see you. I wanted to see you all and it's just so beautiful. I just want to give it up to Angel Jones, the CEO and founder. Also the previous winners who has held the title. and the commitment to community. Council Johnson, Council Member Johnson's right. You see you everywhere. You're everywhere all year round as well. And also, I just want to recognize award-winning Juneteenth ambassador and community champion, DeWayne Martin, who's in the crowd humbly all the way in the back. Dwayne is an ambassador in so many ways, and I just want to just recognize that he's always been not only a liaison, but making sure that we have opportunities to recognize your work and your presence. And last but not least, 30,000 feet. I remember when we were teaching artists at Gordon Parks and we were doing youth programming, so it's just an honor just to see the growth and the expansion. I'm excited to also support the event, but again, we are our ancestors' wildest dreams. That's what I just took away from this moment and so excited to be part of a council that recognizes and honors Juneteenth and does it in such a way that speaks to the essence of how we carry the crown proudly. And I'll just leave with this quote that's my favorite quote by Maya Angelou that says, our crowns have already been paid and bought for. All we have to do is wear it. So thank you so much for wearing the crown.

Thank you, Council President.

I want to say thank you to you, Council Member Johnson, for bringing forward the resolution. I wholeheartedly support it and am very inspired by the powerful room of leaders that we have standing in front of the podium today. A lot of what our speaker said earlier really resonates with me, which is that Juneteenth is more than a holiday. It is a testament to our black communities. sacrifice and unyielding fight for freedom from slavery. And it's a movement that has really laid the important groundwork for major wins that we've had in the civil rights movement for full citizenship and more that all of us in this country and even people internationally benefit from. Vanessa, you mentioned our future is in great hands, and I completely agree with you. It's very, very inspiring and moving to see leaders from our black community who are across different age groups and here are diverse amongst gender, too. And so I want to say thank you for your continued commitment to justice and equity and liberation. It really takes a huge heart, work that comes from truly the deepest parts of love and from being a human being to be able to do this work. And it's something that money cannot buy at all. And so I truly commend you and all of the amazing leaders that we have out in the community doing this important work day in and day out. So thank you all for your leadership. Thank you, Vice President.

Is there any further discussion of the motion? Seeing none, thank you all again. We will take a vote. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed? Seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted.

Should we pick her up? Want to be on our shoulders? Come on. Yeah. Yay! Perfect! On the count of three and say Juneteenth. One, two, three. Juneteenth!

OK, one, two, three.

Come on. Great job.

None of us are cheerleaders.

That's great. Woo! I mean, I thought it was like here. OK. All right. All right. Have a look. I wasn't. Are you serious?

I was a bad geek, so.

Did she know? Well, congratulations. Thank you for coming. Yeah, totally. Yeah. Congratulations. I know.

It's almost like they practice.

Now do a very hard pivot. We'll take a motion from Ms. Bui to suspend the rules to consider. Ordinance. Resolution. 26-1. Both. 26-1.

1014.

Oh, I'm sorry. I'll take a motion from Ms. Yang to consider Resolution 26-1014. All in favor of suspending the rules, please say aye. Aye. All opposed?

Seven in favor and none opposed.

The rules are suspended. Resolution 26-1014, approving the use of Neighborhood Star Grant funds for a change in scope of work for Cook-St. Paul LLC. Vice President.

Thank you, Council President. I want to say thank you to my colleagues for bringing this under suspension. I'm very supportive of this item. The owner of Cook St. Paul, they're undergoing major constructions for their restaurant. It's really exciting plans. The owner is going to be out of the country in a couple of weeks. So I wanted to bring this for approval ASAP so that they can start working with the contractor before they leave for the trip.

Thanks, Vice President. Very good reason, I think, to bring something under suspension to make sure a small business owner can get going. Any further discussion of the motion? Which is for approval. Seeing none, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted.

Take a motion to suspend the rules from Council Member Bui to consider Resolution 26-1005. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed? Seven in favor, none opposed. The rules are suspended.

Resolution 26-1005, commemorating the historic 30th Annual Community Peace Celebration and declaring a day of peace and unity.

Ms. Bui. Thank you for everyone's consideration. This is just a resolution I wanted to have available by this Saturday. There's going to be a 30th year anniversary of the community peace celebration taking place, like I said, this Saturday, June 20th from 2 to 6 PM at the People's Park, which we know officially as Cardi Park. 705 Iglehart Avenue. It's a free event, all ages, community-led. And we're going to be honoring three decades of peace and work and legacy of the founder, the late great elder Melvin Giles. So we welcome all of you all to celebrate not only Juneteenth, but this incredible work. And also, if you are interested, we're going to have the firefighters there. We'll have the mobile, the library mobile. bus there as well. But this resolution is just celebrating that effort that I'll be able to give or present at the committee peace celebration.

Thank you, Ms. Bowie. I'm glad we could get this in in time for that event. Any discussion of the motion for approval? Seeing none, all in favor say aye.

THE RESOLUTION IS ADOPTED.

ITEM 29 ORDINANCE 26-28 GRANTING THE APPLICATION OF ALL MAYOR DEVELOPMENT GROUP FROM H2 RESIDENTIAL TO T1 TRADITIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD AND AMENDING CHAPTER 60 OF THE LEGISLATIVE CODE PERTAINING TO THE ZONING MAP.

And for those of you joining us in person or on YouTube for the first time, we have three readings at least of our ordinances. Anything here for final adoption, like this item 29, will have already been read at least twice. An ordinance starts with a first reading, which we don't have any of today, where we have a staff report giving us basic information about what's being proposed. The next week we have a public hearing where we take public testimony on what the public thinks about that ordinance. And then the next week or in subsequent weeks, if we have changes to be made, we take up an ordinance for final adoption. So this ordinance has already been read twice before. I'll look to Ms. Johnson for a motion.

Thank you, Council President. And thank you just for kind of bringing folks up to speed on this item at this time. And especially what we've heard and what we've been able to review in the public record, I don't have any reservations. And with that, I'd make a motion to approve.

Thank you. So the motion is for approval. Is there any discussion of the motion? Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed. The ordinance is adopted. Item 30, resolution public hearing 26-113, ratifying the assessment for repair of sanitary sewer line on private properties.

So this brings us to the public hearing section of our agenda. If you are here to testify on an item, when your item is called, we'll invite you to come up to the front, stand in between the two microphones. You don't need to adjust them. You can just stand between them and they'll pick you up just fine. You'll have two minutes to testify, which go by quickly. We ask that you start with your name and where you're coming from and then sign in when you're done. So this is a public hearing on item 30. If you're here to testify on this item, please come on up. Welcome up.

I'm going to come a little closer to the PA here because I couldn't hardly hear any of you. I guess it's my age. My name is John Dreeland. I've been a homeowner here in St. Paul since 1976, 29 years in Battle Creek area and Ward 7. In March, I had trouble flushing the toilet. I had to call Roto-Rooter. Roto-Rooter informed me that the city planted the new tree over my sewer line. And of course, the roots grew into the sewer line. at a cost of $10,000. I would suggest, I'm not going to win anything here, but I would like for the technology that we have today, when the city plants trees, make sure they don't plant it on a sewer line and cost us citizens $10,000. And also the representative of the city, Rhoda Reuter, explained to me that I would get a low interest loan I feel low as 1 or 2 or 3%. The loan is 6%. It's not low. So I don't think I'm going to win anything here, but my idea is to inform the city council of what happened to me, and I'm not sure I'm not the only one that had a tree planted on their sewer line. So with the technology today, I'd like the parks, whoever plants the trees, to make sure they're not planting a tree over a sewer line. And I don't think you can do anything for me. If you can, fine. Otherwise, I'm just airing my grievance. $10,000 is a lot of money. So that's my story.

Thank you very much, sir. Make sure to sign in on one of the two sign-in sheets. Thank you for being here. We appreciate your testimony. Is there anyone else here to testify on this item? All right, seeing none, I will make a motion to close the public hearing, and then we can discuss. All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed. The public hearing is closed.

All right, sir, I want to thank you for coming out to testify today. As you mentioned, the assessment policy is unlikely to change as a result of what you described, but I really appreciate you bringing it to our attention. You mentioned that you live in Ward 7, and your council member is Council Member Johnson. He's right here. And so I think your question and concern about where we plant trees is duly noted. It's actually great timing. We're about to take up a tree planting and preservation ordinance next week. And I think Council Member Johnson, who does excellent constituent service, could follow up with you to talk more about exactly what happened and figure out whether there are policy implications for how we do this work in the future. So I appreciate you bringing this to our attention here. I'd look to my colleagues to see if there are other questions discussion of the motion or motion. Ms. Johnson.

Well, Council President, I think you laid it out very well. I just would take the opportunity to also share that my legislative aide is here today, sir, as well. And we welcome just being able to be connected with you to learn more about the specific situation. OK. Well, we'll make sure that he gets connected through that as well.

Thank you, Council President. Thank you. Thank you again for coming. I'll move approval. Is there any discussion, further discussion? Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. All opposed? Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted. Item 31, resolution public hearing 26-118, approving a subdivision by registered land survey for Highland Bridge property owner LLC at 2200 Ford Parkway to create four F5 Ford business mixed district tracks.

This is a public hearing. Is there anyone here to speak on this item? Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms. Jost to close the public hearing and approve. All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted. Item 32, resolution public hearing 26-119, approving the Highland Bridge Row Homes 8th edition final plat.

This is a public hearing. Is there anyone here to speak on this item? Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms. Jost to close the public hearing and approve. All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted. Item 33, resolution public hearing 26-136, approving the application of mini festivals LLC for a sound level variance in order to present amplified sound for Minnesota Country Club event on Friday, July 10th and Saturday 11th at 200 Dr. Justice O'Hage Boulevard at Harriet Island Park.

This is a public hearing. Is there anyone here to speak to this item? Seeing none, I will make a motion to close the public hearing and approve. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted. Item 34, resolution public hearing 26-137, approving the application of mini festivals LLC for a sound level variance in order to present amplified sound for Minnesota Yacht Club event on Friday, July 17, 18, 19 at 200 Dr. Justice O'Hage Boulevard at Harriet Island Park.

This is a public hearing. Is there anyone here to speak to this item? Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms. Coleman to close the public hearing and approve. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted. Oh, sorry.

Sorry.

Legislative hearing consent. Agenda items 35 through 57 are before you for your consideration.

Ms. Mormont. Council President, could item 53 be read into the record? Yep.

Item 53, ratifying the RLHAR 26-37, ratifying the assessment for the city's cost of providing collection of delinquent garbage bills for services during October to December 2025.

Ms. Mormond. I ask an amendment be made to refer 865 Dealton Street back to legislative hearing on July 21st.

I will make that motion. Is there any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor of the amended version say aye. Aye. All opposed?

Oh, do we need to hold a public hearing?

Yes.

OK.

I will make that motion in a moment. First, this is a public hearing on item 53. Is there anyone here to speak to this item? Seeing none, I will move to close the public hearing and approve the item as amended. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed?

7 in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted as amended.

Is there anything else to come before us, Ms. Mormont?

Item 55 should be read into the record as well. Thank you.

Item 55, RLHAR 26-39, ratifying the assessment for the city's cost of providing collection of delinquent garbage bills for services during October to December 2025.

Ms. Mormont? For this item, I ask that 860 East Rose be referred to legislative hearing July 21st.

I will take that as a motion from... Vice President Yang, and we'll hold a public hearing. This is a public hearing on item 55. Is there anyone here to speak to this item? Seeing none, the motion from Ms. Yang will be to close the public hearing and amend the item as mentioned by the legislative hearing officer. All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted as amended.

Anything else, Ms. Mormont? Mr. President, I'm not aware of anyone else to testify on a legislative hearing item.

All right, so if you are here to testify on any one of our legislative hearing items, this is your public hearing. Please come on up. Seeing none, I will take a motion from Ms. Kim to close the public hearings and approve the items as amended and recommended by the legislative hearing officer. All in favor, say aye. Aye. All opposed? Seven in favor, none opposed.

The legislative hearing consent agenda is adopted as amended.

That brings us to the end of our agenda for our business meeting. We will have a special meeting in just a moment. But I'm looking around to see if there's good news from the warts. or any news at all, Ms. Johnson? Preferably good.

Yes, preferably good. I can deliver on that. We have several different events happening, but I'll take the first to share that before we get into Juneteenth pieces, I do want to let folks know about the mayoral budget engagement events that are happening throughout the city. For folks that don't know who are watching, I have the luxury of being able and honored to serve as the Council's budget chair. And so it's just really important for me that folks who are watching know that on the 22nd and the 26th, we will be having two budget events that are held on the east side. The one on the 22nd is in Ward 7 at the Sunray Library. And the one on the 26th is in Arlington Hills in Ward 6. It's at the community center. and it's from 4 to 5.30, and then we will wrap up that series on July 1st at Neighborhood House in Ward 2. And so all of those events are open to the public. They're 4 to 5.30. I would encourage folks to go. Some council members will be at each one, and I just think it's really important for folks to engage with the process now that we are in the midst of budget season. I would also be remiss if I didn't share, again, just... There are many Juneteenth events that are happening all across the city and the region. So if you are having a free time at all and want to participate, it's a great way to support Black vendors, support Black businesses and organizations here in the Twin Cities, and also just to participate and, you know, spend your dollar here locally. A great example of that will be at 30,000 feet from 4 to 8. On Friday, it's at 1351 Arcade Street, which is essentially just their office space. So it's a great opportunity to get out and see some Eastside businesses and community partners. Great.

Thanks so much, Ms. Johnson. Other news from the wards? Ms. Bowie.

Like I had mentioned earlier, with the agenda, we have from the ward on Saturday, June 20th, the 30th Annual Community Peace Celebration at Cardy Park. On Friday, the actual Juneteenth, there is a Juneteenth celebration at the Rondo Plaza where Mr. Marvin Anderson and also many of Rondo's Families and leaders will be honored in receiving awards there for their commitment to community service. I also will be speaking there. I believe the governor and Senator Amy Klobuchar also will be there. So there's a lot of leadership that will be present. So that's between 12 to 5 PM on Friday. There's also a free Juneteenth celebration taking place On Saturday, from 11 to 6 p.m., the Anika Foundation, not to be mistaken for me. I used to be a chair of the board, but we are all ambassadors. But at the Capitol, it's going to be a Juneteenth celebration. Amazing local artists, national headliners, tons of vendors and resources there as well. And then last but not least, in Ward 2, I won't steal your thunder, but I'm super excited for the Twin Cities Jazz Fest. It's going to be on two days, I believe, right? Saturday and Sunday. So it's going to be a free event at Marist Park. We'll plan on being there as well.

Thanks so much, Ms. Bowie. There's so much good stuff going on. Any other news from the wards? And feel free to steal away. I'm always happy to share the good news from Ward 2. Yes, Vice President.

Thank you, Council President. I just wanted to share another Juneteenth event in my ward this Friday, June 19th from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. There's an art exhibit happening at 967 Payne Avenue. The St. Paul artists featured as Ron Brown and just a bit about them. Across canvas, handcrafted wood furniture and wearable art, Ron has built a remarkable Afrocentric hip-hop rooted body of work and the studio is bringing together two decades of it for the first time. So we encourage folks to go and check it out

Great. Ms. Johnson. I forgot to mention, and I would be remiss if I didn't. So my in-laws are here today just participating all the way from Accra, Ghana. So I just wanted to say welcome formally to Sylvester Annan and Charlotte Annan. And this is their first time experiencing a council meeting. They were really excited to come out. They watched our inauguration virtually, so it was really cool to kind of match the names and the faces that they saw. And then my son is also here, Isaiah Annan, who this is his first council meeting as well. You might hear him in the background. Apologies in advance for how he may act during the Black Music Month special.

I think I heard him testifying at one of our public hearings. Welcome.

Thank you so much for being here. It's an honor.

All right, with that, we are going to adjourn our regular business meeting, and we will convene our special meeting.

I was going to say, if we just get a quick little second, I just wanted to make sure that all of our honorees are here, and also OTC will be queuing on some music for us. But if we could just do a quick bathroom break, if that's okay.

Sure, we'll take a five-minute recess and then return. Okay, or five-minute break before we start. All right, so we'll adjourn. We'll be back in five minutes. Council meeting is adjourned.

¶¶ Thank you.

Thank you.

Bye. Bye. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Bye. Thank you. so so Thank you.

The special city council meeting to order. Roll call, please.

Yang. Here. Bui.

Here.

Coleman. Here. Johnson.

Here.

Jost. Here. Kim. Here. Council President Naker. Here. We have one item, item one, resolution 26-996, recognizing June 2026 as Black Music Month in the city of St. Paul and honoring the third annual Black Music Month honorees.

Ms. Bui. Oh, I think we have a video first. We have a song first, right?

Yeah. Yep. I think it's going. There it goes. Thank you.

of kings and queens. Royal blood flows through your veins. Children of the dream. So hold your head up high. Hold your head up high. Keep reaching for the stars. Keep reaching. No matter what. I know you can sing it. No matter what. Father, you're a king. Sister, you're a queen. Children of a dream. If you've never been told, time for you to know your royalty. People say about you, never ever doubt you. Keep pushing, give it all you got. Don't stop till you reach the top. So hold your head up high. Hold your head up high.

Keep reaching for the stars. Keep reaching. No matter what, no, you can take it. No doubt about it, no.

We got a message from above. If you've never been told, time for you to know you're royalty.

Royalty. Oh, royalty. You are royalty. We got a message for you. We got a message from above. You ain't no bug. You're royalty. My brother, my brother. Mother, you're a king. Sister, you're a queen. Children of the tree.

If you've never been told, time for you to know you're royalty.

Yeah. King Kuta, I'm here for you and I. Got the smashes, I'm spreading the most high. Head high, I shine like my father's smile. Down upon my kings and queens of all time. Blessed, man of color, original king, ruler, slave that made a way metaphorically. King Kuta, eyes on prize, my pride won't collide. Am I right in your eyes if I stand on mine?

to your feet children of the tree if you've never been told time for you to know your words if you've never been told time for you to know your words

Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome. What you just heard earlier was from Sounds of Blackness featuring the High School for Recording Arts students. Okay.

Thank you, OTC.

You're welcome. From Sounds of Blackness featuring the High School for Recording Arts students and faculty, myself and also Pierre Fulford had the pleasure and the honor to not only royalty, you know, contributing not only mentality and the culture and the arts and the growth and development for our city, Also, I want to recognize Sounds of Blackness was our second annual Black Music Month honorees. So, you know, it's a really amazing opportunity to keep uplifting so many artists in our community. This is the third annual Black Music Month celebration, and I just want to thank my colleagues for being present in full attendance. On this day, this year, we are actually hosting it as a special meeting just so we can have more time and be able to recognize our amazing artists. It's also important that we celebrate Juneteenth and honor not only the talents, but the major contributions of our neighbors who are committed to growing the arts, culture, and legacy of black music. Music is a universal language, and the power of art is the greatest unifier. And as this country is currently celebrating its 250th year anniversary and reckoning with the question on who belongs and who can be called an American, and whose history matters. It's critical that we uplift the voices whose blood, sweat, and tears continuously sacrifice to build our capital city. Black music is American music. And as we are honoring many of the artists and leaders and organizations today, it is important that we commit our values to what we do here inside of the chambers towards uplifting our programs. I'm going to also transition here where I'm going to promote the Get Down program from the Parks and Recs. When we think about in the city of St. Paul, where we are striving to not only close racial wealth gaps and design programs that are for our young people to have opportunities to actualize their power and to build trusted relationships and mentorship to actually invest in their dreams, I can't think of another program outside of the Get Down program that really utilizes not only hip hop, but all genres in performing arts and really cultivate our young folks. So I'm gonna invite some of the staff here. We have Andy Rockwood and Shana here from the Get Down program to speak a little bit about the program and as well as some of the exciting events coming up. And then we have a video from Director Andy Rodriguez.

Good afternoon. Thank you, Council President. Thank you, Council Bowie. Thank you, Council Members, for this opportunity. My name is Shana Abraham. I have the privilege of being the Rec Services Manager for St. Paul Parks and Recreation. The Get Down is one of our newest programs and a spectacular way for young people to get mentorship and support in finding their voice through music. We have a lot of team members who are very passionate about music on our team. So it's also a great way for us to give our team opportunities to tap into their passions while they work. I am going to turn it over to Andy, who is going to talk on behalf of the young people who we couldn't get to join us today because they actually have their first meeting in about a half hour. So thank you for joining me, Andy.

Hi, everyone. It's an honor to be here. I did not know I would be speaking earlier today, though I did wear the Get Down shirt. So forgive me if I'm a little ill-prepared. Like Shannon was saying, the Get Down began two years ago as a youth-focused hip-hop concert series. We've since expanded that into a concert series and weekly mentorship program, collaborating with local artists such as DJ Big Mike and Terrell X, city staff that are artistically inclined, including myself. It's been a real, one of my greatest joys working with this program with the Parks Department. Seeing kids really come into their own as artists, build confidence. I always live for that moment when they get off stage and have just that glow on their face. And it really feels like we're creating lifelong artists. A lot of them have returned and done it again or are coming back now as instructors themselves. And I see them out in the world collaborating and making music together on their own. So it really feels like we're literally building a music scene in St. Paul, which is just a beautiful, amazing thing. One just amazing experience that came to mind, we culminated the second year with a show at Harriet Island. Nerdy, the rapper, was our headliner. And one of my kids came up to me and was like, hey, can I talk to him? And I was like, this is also your show. Yes, you can go talk to him. But they also get to have their music played on Frogtown Radio. They have access to a recording studio now. And it's just an awesome thing to see them get these opportunities. I'll go quickly through the list of shows that we have this summer. They've played at places like 825 Arts, done the big festival show down in Harriet Island. This year we have a show on July 9th at Arlington Hills, on July 30th at Dayton's Bluff Rec Center, August 4th at MLK, and then our big all-day kind of music fest is on August 29th at Raspberry Island. All that's on stpaul.gov if you don't remember it. Honored to be here. Thank you for... Let us talk. Thank you.

The St. Paul Get Down is an opportunity for up and coming young artists who have had some experience with music but want to get their chops a little sharper.

They get the opportunity to write, record, own their own music, and perform at different venues all over St. Paul.

I am a facilitator who's coming in to talk to them about live performances, how to get their merch game right, how to be the best collaborators. I've been part of the St. Paul Get Down for two years.

I think music is really a big thing when it comes to connections. I got to meet a lot of cool people, being able to help them with beat making, rapping, and have them being able to perform it too. It's just an amazing honor of mine.

A lot of youth this age, they have talent, but they're also in these streets. And hopefully they can come to a program like this and say to themselves, you know what, I don't have to be in the streets. I can invest in the talent that I have and turn that into something that allows me to live a better life. So I feel really privileged to work with these youth and I've learned so much working with them.

So we take the writing aspect to a very great level. We're able to listen to everyone's emotions, feelings, and be able to express that not only outside of their home, but also on the stage. For me as an artist, I'm able to vent more on the stage, on the microphone, with people like the St. Paul.

Just to give young people an opportunity to play on a stage that epic and with professional sound equipment, professional lighting. Everything that happened felt like a manifestation to be on that moment, to be on that stage.

It just felt right.

I learned how to really focus on your craft, your stage presence and all of that. It was very life changing.

I think that the age range, 14 to 24, is lacking programming. So to have this space, not only to have artists, but then encourage their friends and their fans to gather in a positive space. It's like so many times we see young people at that age group gathering and people get concerned about it. And it's like, they just want a place to belong.

Families and people of all ages need to experience positive hip hop. because it gets such a negative rap, no pun intended.

Music knows no age. It knows no community. It knows no color. It just connects people.

I just love it. Next year, we're going to make it bigger and better. I can't wait to do it again.

I think we need some of the young people from Get Down to help us with our professional sound.

Yes, yes. Well, now you see it. You see it. The Get Down program is one of my favorites. I know myself and Council President Naker had a chance to go last year. It was so much energy. Even the year before last, I believe Brother Ali was one of the headliners. International artists, so right here in the Twin Cities. If you have a chance, please go out and support our young artists and also support our artists, not only in our programs, but outside when they go to, if they're in Minneapolis or some of them are performing outside of the state of Minnesota as well. So we're now getting into the meat and potatoes of our honorees here. I'm going to just... begin by reading our resolution that just lays out the groundwork and the background on why this Black Music Month is important. And also, I'm going to go into reading out our categories. And then after I read the categories, we're going to honor or recognize some of the honorees. And I'll be reading the bios and passing it over to some of the honorees or their designees to present. So we're going to just get into it. 2026 Annual Black Music Month Honorees. In June of 1979, President Jimmy Carter established the Black Music Month alongside advocates as Kenny Gamble, Deanna Williams, Ed Wright, and the Black Music Association to recognize, celebrate, and strengthen the contributions of Black artists in the Black music industry. The city of St. Paul has been enriched by generations of Black musicians, composers, vocalists, producers, educators, DJs, promoters, and cultural institutions whose contributions have strengthened neighborhoods, activated commercial corridors, and enhanced public life. On June 24th, or excuse me, on June 2024, the city of St. Paul establish an annual Black Music Month recognition. This year marks the third annual St. Paul City Council Black Music Month celebration to recognize the talent and contributions of individuals and organizations whose artistic expression enriches the cultural vitality of St. Paul. Now, therefore, be it resolved that the St. Paul City Council hereby proclaims June 26 as Black Music Month celebration. The St. Paul City Council acknowledges the recipients and categories. So the categories that we have this year actually were derived by our former honorees who had seven different categories that encompasses the wide range of impact that many of the artists and organizations have on St. Paul, which are the Next Verse Award, which recognizes an emerging youth artist whose talent, creativity, Impact represents the future of black music. The second award is the Vibe Alchemist Award, which recognizes a musician, producer, composer, vocalist, bandleader, or DJ whose artistry transforms sound into culture and connection. The third award is the Stage Builder Award, recognizing a curator, venue, promoter, producer, or organizer who creates space where Black music and artists can thrive. The Community Harmony Award, recognizing an individual or group that uses music to heal, unite, inspire, and strengthen community. The 651 Sound Award, recognizing an artist whose work authentically represents St. Paul, elevates its neighborhoods, and carries the city's culture of identity to a broader audience. And the Rhythm and Roots Award, recognizing an organization, educator, mentor, historian, or culture keeper who's dedicated to preserving, teaching, and advancing black musical traditions. And last but not least, we have the Living Legacy Award, who recognizes an individual who has decades of contributions have left in our enduring impact on black music, culture, and community. So those are the seven awards that we have. And when we think about just how it started as just a resolution, and now it's growing into not only a selection committee of people who are excited and looking forward every year in June for these awards. So I'm super excited. I just want to say thank you for everyone who's nominated artists. Thank you for everyone who is here. And thank you for everyone who's just been promoting this great opportunity. So I wish we kind of had like a drum roll, like some dramatic effect going on. OK. Thank you, thank you, thank you. So we're going to get started here. So the Next Verse Award, we are recognizing Yevra Brantley. And I'm going to just read his bio real quickly, and then we'll have the applause after. Yevra is a genre-blending artist who crafts a bold, immersive world where raw emotion meets unapologetic self-expression. Fusing elements of hip hop, trap, and alternative R&B, his sound is both infectious and unpredictable. Originally from East St. Louis, East St. Louis, and now performing out of the Twin Cities, he represents the Midwest sound with a raw, unfiltered edge. His music resonates with fans of artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Smino, and Mac Miller. Let's give it up to Yavra Brantley for the next birthday. And as Yevra's coming up, I had a pleasure to work with Yevra. He and I started off doing voter registration back in 2020. So he's very active when it comes to the civic organizing. So, Yevra, congratulations.

Oh, thank y'all. Thank y'all so much. I'm not going to lie. My heart is running like crazy right now. I was going to go off the top, but I'm a little jet lagged. I actually just came back into the city last night, so I had wrote something. Here it goes. There's no black culture without a black future to build it. In the culture, we come from a lot of pain and violence that we ain't asked for. The art that's being made is to liberate that, to evolve where we came from. This is what I do it for. I do it for the legacy. I feel like as an artist, I have an obligation to share culture with the world, to share the different faces of humanity. Art is one of the purest forms of education for humanity. And true art must be recognized and protected for the power that it holds in community. This is bigger than me. And I got one thing to say from Miss Badu. If we were made in his image, then call us by our names. Most intellects do not believe in God, but they fear us just the same. Come on, y'all know the song.

Congratulations. Congratulations.

Amazing, amazing. I love when Erykah Badu is just in the present, so, you know, in the midst. Thank you for bringing that. So our second award is the Vibe Alchemist, which goes to, drum roll, DJ Mickey Breeze. Woo!

Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!

Woo! Woo!

So DJ Mickey Breeze was nominated several times by great demand. DJ Mickey Breeze is a DJ, producer, artist, and educator who represents a generation of truly exceptional musical talent hailing from the city of St. Paul with over 15 years of experience in this industry. He has comprised an impressive list of accomplishments, including DJing at both local and national events, such as Southwest. Southwest, who? We've been sound sets in Twin Cities Pride, as well as instructing at the Electronic Musical School, Slam Academy, and DJing for the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Let's go.

Hello, everybody. I'm sure a few of you, especially family members, may be wondering what the hell I'm wearing. And your thoughts are not unwarranted, but I would like to take a couple minutes to illustrate a little bit about how my attire is representative of what the Vibe Alchemist Award and honor truly means to me. My understanding is that Vibe Alchemy is putting out the vibe or the energy that you want to see in the venues you're playing or that you want to see in the world that you inhabit. Since a young age, I've wanted to express myself in the only way I knew how. And through music, I found a lot of people who truly showed me the cultural benefit of what it means to support someone who has any desire to create something for themselves. As I grew older, I learned the value of being able to share my light with others and bearing witness to the amazing things that can happen when encouraging other people to explore their creativity and self-expression. The way I present myself, perform my music, and teach others to create is all a result of my community truly seeing and nurturing the potential in myself that I try to see in the youth and other amazing minds like mine who find ways to express themselves through their art form and create a vibe. Whether it be music, fashion, physical or digital arts, or education, I want to continue to encourage those who seek to positively express themselves in the hopes that it will inspire more amazing people to do the same. And most importantly, all of my artistry, all of my efforts, including writing this speech, were not generated by AI. Lastly, And this is the long run. I would like to thank my mom, Richard Moody, Amber Cleveland, my grandfather in the Walker West Music Academy, the Minnesota Dandies for getting my style up to point, Roxanne Anderson of Rare Productions, True Heads Clothing, the Omega Zulu Minnesota Chapter, Hip Hop History in the Arts Program, Mobile Jazz, Experience Jazz, High School for Recording Arts, Slipmats Crew, Urban lights, huge music, Slam Academy, Generation Now Entertainment, my wonderful, soon-to-be wife of nine years.

Trini, Trini C is a seasoned event producer, former dance hall and reggae artist, and cultural promoter who founded Trini C Productions in 1979. She has led major Afro-Caribbean music and cultural events across the Midwest, Canada, Jamaica, and collaborating with leading venues and industry partners. Deeply rooted in the community, she serves on multiple cultural and nonprofit boards and amplifies local talent through media and live events. Through her work, Marina continues to bridge music and community, creating platforms that uplift Afro-Caribbean heritage and bring diverse audience together. Let's give it up to Trinity.

This is... Thank you for the honor. It's a little emotional, because a couple years ago, after my aunt and cousin lost their lives to domestic violence, I was going to stop. I took a big break. But my Auntie Cami was one of my biggest supporters, and so I continue... Every time I take the stage, I have to big them up, Camelita, Dilyana, and Kalita Schamber, because I continue to do what I do in honor of those beautiful women in Trinidad and Tobago that lost their lives. So... On that note, thank you to Council Member Anika Bowie, who does amazing things in our Rondo community, and the St. Paul City Council for allowing me to be part of this historic moment. I'm deeply humbled and honored to receive the Stage Builder Award today. Not only is it Black Music Month, but it's also Caribbean Heritage Month. So this makes this, as a Trinidadian Canadian moment, even more special for me to be celebrating this achievement. I've had the honor to curate events for over two decades, not three, but two. Whether I'm involved as a promoter, a radio host for KMOJ, onstage MC, project manager, community member, a board member such as for Rondo Days or Caribbean Disaster Relief, I take great pride in being able to bring joy to people's lives through music and entertainment. I'm truly passionate about bridging music and community while creating platforms that uplift our beautiful Rondo community, our West Indian communities, and our Afro-Caribbean heritage. I know God placed me on this earth to be a joy maker and bring diverse audiences together to create unforgettable moments. I pray I'm blessed to continue to do the amazing work of organizing events for a couple more decades, as well as be able to mentor and educate those who are interested in doing similar work and to pass the tools to build our younger generation. Me being here in front of all of you amazing humans wouldn't be possible without my beautiful mother, Idris, who's in Canada, my amazing sons, Cecil and Justin, as well as my bonus children, Darren, Keely, Ashley, Bryden, and Yashi, my beautiful cousin, Christy May, special big ups to Aunt Cami and Kalita. And if it wasn't for all of you, I wouldn't be able to find the motivation each and every day, especially with my sons, to keep going hard. To my chosen family members, like Annie, Mary Lou, Jetan, Chrissy, Tasha, Okoye, Rich, Gail, Olan, Trevor, and many more, thanks for lifting me always and answering the call over the years, as being a woman in this industry is not easy. And finally, to my supporters who have attended the events over the years, those who I serve on the board with, as like JMO, Rondo Days, as well as Caribbean Disaster Relief, the DJs, the musicians, the artists, the AV, the sound men, the amazing volunteers, the amazing videos, the city department personnel, the city council, the community partners, security, our amazing law enforcement, there would be no events without all of you. Whether private, in the venues, or in the beautiful parks, merci beaucoup. Happy Juneteenth weekend, and I hope to see you all at Rondo Days, July 18th, and Carrie Fest, July 25th.

Amazing. See you at Rondo Days. And we have the next honoree here for the Community Harmony Award. Drum roll, please. Those are Georgia Ford and the Power 104.7 FM Radio.

Thank you so much. I don't do this work alone, so I asked our team to join us. They worked so hard behind the scenes. Thank you. I will keep my remarks short so we can also hear a few words from our vice president, Harry Colbert. I am Georgia Fort, an independent journalist. I also serve as the president of Center for Broadcast Journalism and Power 104.7 FM. Our mission is to mobilize the next generation to advance representation in media. Power 104.7 symbolizes a reclamation of power. After all our community has been through, we are a reminder that power belongs to the people. As a St. Paul native, our vision has always been for Power 1047 to center our music, our culture, and to keep our community informed by amplifying community-centered news. So to receive recognition from the city of St. Paul for doing that work, it is truly an honor. A huge thank you to the many people who helped our nonprofit CBJ assume stewardship of the station, Lissa Jones, Eric Zydlicki, Ms. Brenda, the entire board of directors at Dayton's Bluff Community Council, Indigenous Roots, and the countless staff, our board of directors, who volunteer month after month, year after year, to make sure we can keep the lights on, and to our volunteers and our staff who keep us on air every day, people like Glo, Pharrell, Serenity, Nya Harris, our amazing morning show, Sade, and DJ Intense, and so many others. We want to dedicate this award to our beloved community. to the brave men and women of Minnesota, and in St. Paul, to the east side, the best side, we are powerful. Thank you.

good afternoon and thank you council for this wonderful award uh and most importantly thank you georgia for bringing me on this past november and truly changing my life i cannot say what it means to be in this powerful i use that word specifically position it's been an amazing two days for us uh georgia yesterday was honored with the peter popovich award from the society of professional journalists And one of our students, Lizzie Nweke, was also given a $2,000, not given, awarded, earned a $2,000 scholarship from the Society of Professional Journalists. So this has been an amazing... This has been an amazing couple of days for us, but it's not a couple of days of recognition. It's about the five years of work that Georgia and the entire staff has put in in making Power 104.7 what it is. Understanding that we are your home, the Twin Cities home for Minnesota music. We made that abundantly clear. this past April 21st when we celebrated our beloved brother Prince Rogers Nelson and having full day of Minnesota programming. And we made it clear again this past Friday on June the 6th, numerically June 6th, or excuse me, June the 12th. Numerically June 12th is 6-1-2. I promise you if numerically there was a 6-5-1 on the calendar, we'd have that day too. But we play nothing but Minnesota music. And a lot of that music is homegrown right here in St. Paul. We are so appreciative of this award. And we want to remind you that on August 8, we will be celebrating our love with you as we have 7th Street Live on the corner of 7th Street and Hope, and we invite you all out to this free event. And also, because we're continuing with our mission of uplifting youth and transforming the next generation, we're teaching journalism. I have a cohort that will start July the 6th. Applications are still open on our website, power1047.fm, and that's where you can also listen to this amazing lineup of music and talented hosts. Thank you.

Okay, so amazing. Also, I want to shout out the 7th Street Live Festival is returning to the East Side this Saturday, or not this Saturday, excuse me, Saturday, August 9th, 2026. So we'll just make sure we'll hear some good news from Ward 7 around August. Moving accordingly, there's so much energy in the room. So our next honoree goes to the 651 Sound Award. So this person, again, has the 651 Sound Award. And drum roll, please. Allen Kingdom. Allen Kingdom. Alan Kingdom is a three times Grammy-nominated St. Paul-based rapper. Let me say that again. Three times Grammy-nominated St. Paul-based rapper, singer, producer with South African and Tanzanian roots. He gained international acclaim in 2015 with his feature on Kanye's All Day alongside Paul McCartney. He has released acclaimed projects, including Future Memoirs, Northern Lights, and Allestine. Did I say that right? Allestine. Allestine. Thank you. He found Yibo Life. a nonprofit focused on arts and culture to uplift communities through creative initiatives in the Twin Cities. Looking ahead, his music and leadership continues to enrich St. Paul's vibrant cultural landscape. And you probably remember him here testifying and supporting the Ujamaa Place as well, where he is leading there as well, mentoring our young people. Let's give it up to Alan Kingdom.

Thanks, everyone. I didn't prepare a speech. I'm just going to speak from the heart. One thing that came to me when I learned that I was receiving this award was that even Jesus Christ was not honored in his own hometown. no matter what your religious background is. So I don't take this lightly. And I know for a lot of artists, it means a lot to be honored and to be recognized. That's one of the things we do it for, especially when you start your journey. You know, the finances aren't there. Even the support isn't there. You have to be your own biggest fan. So to be able to use art to open these doors for me in community and entrepreneurship means a lot to me. And personally, I feel like the 651 Sound Award was very fitting of my goal from the beginning. My goal was always to take St. Paul and the community I grew up in, this beautiful little city, and present that to the world. That was always the vision, was this is so cool when I have my community here, but I want to do some bigger things. So to be able to present that to the world and come back here and be honored in this way means a lot to me. To be able to be at organizations like Walker West Music Academy, to be on the board there, to be able to give back and serve at Ujamaa Place, at High School Recording Arts, it means a lot to me. And to start my own organization as well, Yebo Life, and mentor youth and young adults means a lot to me as well so i just want to say i want to thank you guys and commend you for giving artists this space because we are the voice that's unfiltered right we don't have to be political we don't have to we don't have to be filtered we can say exactly what's on our heart and we don't have to think about all of the I guess, bureaucracy and all of that. But to be honored in a space like this still means a lot to us. So I want to thank you for doing that and much love. Thank you very much.

Wonderful. We're down to our last honorees, our last two honorees here. We have, excuse me, the Rhythm and Roots Award. And just for a reminder, this is recognizing an educator, a culture keeper who's dedicated to preserving and teaching and advancing black musical tradition. So with drum roll, please. The Rhythm and Roots Award goes to Elder Mahmoud Elkati. Elder Mahmoud Elkati. I'm going, yes. So we have Sister Raquette here to receive this award. But before then, I'm just going to read Elder Mahmoud El-Kati, who's just been my lifelong mentor. He has just contributed endless amounts of value when it comes to not only St. Paul, but just our community globally. So Dr. Mahmoud El-Kati is a lecturer, author, and commentator on the African-American experience. Elkati is a professor of history at Macalester College in St. Paul. Professor Elkati is the author of several books, such as The Myth of Race and The Reality of Racism, critical essays. And also, I want to include the Hip Hop Dictionary. That was the first book, a hip dictionary, which I read. It actually inspired me to attend Hamlin University. My first time even seeing his lectures was at Hamlin University. I went there. It was in the student hall. And that's when I decided that I was going to go to Hamlin. I didn't know that he actually was teaching at Macalester. But his current work includes being an instructor for the New School of African-American Thought, a monthly community forum held every fourth Friday of the month at High School for Recording Arts. You can stay in touch with Elder via his Facebook page at Dr. Mahmoud Elkati Books, Events, and Speaking Engagements. And we have here Ms. Sister Rickett with us to give some remarks.

Thank you. Actually, I am not Elder Mahmoud. Y'all thought he was here, right? But he said, do not accept anything unless I say what he wrote. So I have to read verbatim. But thank you, Rekhet Siasar. I'm actually the director for In Black Ink, have worked with as a mentee of Elder Mahmoud for years, over 30 years, actually. So it's an honor. Elder Mahmoud, through the words of one of America's greatest heroes, Frederick Douglass, would like to address the plight of African people that have been here in the United States of America since 1619. In 1853, in a letter to Harriet Beecham Stowell, Douglass wrote and answered this question about whether or not African people should return to Africa after they obtain their freedom. Douglass wrote, individuals immigrate, nations never. African people in the United States are a nation within a nation. We are here before this republic was ever even an idea. We have grown up in this republic, and I see nothing in her character or even in the character of American people as yet, which compels the belief that we must leave the United States. So here we are, and here we are likely to be. To imagine that we shall be eradicated is absurd and ridiculous. We can be changed, modified, or even assimilated, but never extinguished. We therefore repeat that we are here, that this is our country too. We shall neither die out nor shall we be driven away, but we shall with you either be a testimony against her or be as evidence in her favor throughout the generations. Thank you all very much for this recognition.

Just amazing. Thank you so much, Rickett, for that remarks. We have, last but not least, the Living Legacy Award, recognizing an individual who contributed 30-plus years to the impact of Black music culture in the community. Drum roll, please.

David T.C. Ellis, Founder

Mr. Ellis, Mr. Ellis is not with us today, but he wanted us to send his sister, my mentor, my old boss, or actually my forever boss, I should say, an award point. Serenity Ellis, known as Mama Shy. I will have you give some words, but also I'll read his bio real shortly. David Ellis is the founder and director of High School for Recording Arts, also known as Hip Hop High. was born and raised in St. Paul and graduated at St. Paul Open School. He's also raised in Rondo as well. Mr. Ellis established himself in the music business in the mid-'80s as the first rap recording artist to release a record in Minnesota called the Twin City Rap. After a couple of independent record releases with regional success, he was recruited by Prince and Warner Brothers to record and produce records at Paisley Park. Eventually, Mr. Ellis started his own production company called Studio Four. here in St. Paul, where a number of young black artists who had dropped out of high school soon became a permanent presence. Guiding them through the creative and business process of the recording industry, Mr. Ellis was struck by the way the youth naturally embraced academic subjects that supported their pursuit of a musical career. With that realization and after a two-year pilot program, the High School for Recording Arts was born. It received a charter from the Minnesota Department of Education and emerging as the only public school of its kind in the United States Which also has a site in LA as well. So we're going to hand it over. Let's give it up for Mr. Ellis getting the living legacy award and we're gonna hand it over to

Well, as you can see, I'm not him, like she said. He was sick because he really wanted to be here. I mean, not sick physically, but he's away at a conference. And so I'm supposed to read exactly what he wrote as well. So he says, dear members of St. Paul City Council, Anika, we are so proud of you. I'm supposed to say that. We are so proud of you and the esteemed guests. I am deeply honored to receive this Living Legacy Award presented by the St. Paul City Council for Music and Education, honoring my contributions to our community and to the advancement of music education and media pathways. As the founder of High School for Recording Arts, we also call it HSRA, and the Diverse Media Institute, that's DMI, my work has centered on empowering young people to pursue creative and technical careers in music, production, engineering, live sound, and audiovisual storytelling. HSRA was the launchpad for DMI, a post-secondary program that extends more career pathways and opportunities for our youth, addressing the cost and debt barriers that too often limit students' futures in this industry. While I am not available today to personally accept this Living Legacy Award, I'm sending my sister. And I'm honored to have five remarkable DMI graduates from our community accompanying me to the InfoComm conference. That's where he's at now. This trip embodies our mission to connect students with industry professionals and real world opportunities. Thank you again to the St. Paul City Council for this prestigious recognition. It validates the hard work of students, instructors, mentors, partners, family who help open doors and create lasting impact. I am grateful for your trust in HSRA and DMI and myself to nurture creativity, resilience, and professional excellence in the next generation of music and media professionals in our community. I look forward to celebrating with you upon my return and continuing to advance opportunities within St. Paul's vibrant arts and media community. With gratitude and respect, David T.C. Ellis, founder of High School for Recording Arts, HSRA. You guys, these are all HSRA. This is family. My baby's over there. And that mama, I need to see you.

Well, there we have it.

Can we just give it up for all of our honorees? I also want to recognize some of our former honorees. We have Chadwick Niles here. We have also Pabielle here, who was honored, was the first, our inaugural honoree. And we have so many people. I see Kimberly here as well. Thank you for being here. And we have our principal from Central High School. Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo. In the building, Dr. Carice Ayers. So thank you for everyone who's here. I also just want to recognize that the fact there's been a lot of conversations around just like what is the city council doing? What is the stance that we're taking when we're I'm talking about like the hate that we're seeing all across the globe, particularly around communities of color and particularly also in the black community. And it's really important that when we take a stance against black hate crimes, I mean, we're having conversations around how we are committed and dedicated to that work. that we drive out hate with love. And I can't think of a most more powerful love language than music. And we're here recognizing our artists, recognizing the people that use their gifts and their talents to drive out that hate, and also committed not only just symbolically, but committed to the policy and committed to building those relationships and making sure that everything that we do here, every policy, every engagement, every practice, every vote that we take, we're thinking about you, right? You are here sharing your truth, sharing your talents, and also sharing your love for humanity and the contributions that you have here in the city of St. Paul. But with that, I just want to say, I want to open it up for discussion, but I also just want to end with the words of my favorite black artist, Beyonce. And I don't want to share the video because we are YouTube-libing, so we may get it pulled down. But just closing out with freedom, freedom, I can't move. Freedom, cut me loose. Singing freedom, freedom, where are you? Because I need freedom too. I break chains all by myself, won't let my freedom rot in hell. Hey, I'm going to keep running because a winner don't quit on themselves. And what we heard here today is people who did not quit on themselves. They did not quit on their community. They did not quit on us. They did not quit on City St. Paul. And we're going to keep on striving and keep on going and making sure we're uplifting what the value and the legacy of freedom is. So thank you so much.

Thank you so much, Councilmember Bui, for your leadership. And thank you all. And congratulations to all of our honorees. We have a motion on the table for a resolution that makes this official that Councilmember Bui read earlier. But I would first look to see if there is discussion of the motion from my colleagues.

Vice President. Thank you, Council President. I want to say thank you so much for putting together this wonderful event during the special meeting here. I want to extend my gratitude to all of the incredible leaders, our black leaders who are recognized today. The work that you do, it does not go unnoticed. You truly make our city a better place to be. You are a building block of our city, and so I want to say thank you to you, and I know the work that you do, it comes with an entire team behind you, and so I want to extend my gratitude to all the folks who are in your corner continuing to support you and your leadership, and so again, congrats to all of you, and It's really special to be able to just really do the recognition in a place like this where we know that this is the people's home. However, it was never built to work for our marginalized communities. And so day after day, it is truly up to everyone, those of us who are a part of this community, to continue changing our systems to make it work for us. And you all are truly a testament to that very important work.

Thank you, Vice President.

Ms. Johnson.

Well, I just want to say this has been the best council meeting that I've had in my tenure. So check. No, but I really enjoy all of it. I think just I want to say congratulations to folks that were honored today, to those who rallied the troops. I think DJ Breeze, you definitely had quite a few nominations, but also just quite a few folks today that came to support you. Honestly, had a front row seat to also watching how much this meant to your mom too in this space. I just want to share how beautiful I think that this is. Council Member Bowie, thank you for putting together. We had a program, we have folks coming through. I felt like I was at the Grammys. This is probably the closest I'll get to the Grammy, so I appreciate you. I don't want the meeting to, I don't want to, you know, all of you guys, I just want to say congratulations. But Georgia Fork, can you please stand for me? Yes. You know, East Side is the best side. But also, you guys, when we watch our queens get attacked on purpose, I think it's important that we take some time and just share with our community and let our queens know that they're not fighting alone. And so I want to just share with you that I fully support you being able to do your role and to do your job. I fully support you being able to be the mother that you are to your kids and truly the advocate that you are to our community. St. Paul would not be the same without you. And I'm really glad that of your talents and your tools, you've chosen to remain in St. Paul. And you've chosen to invest here. You've chosen to really, truly bring and continue to have your family invest in business, both you and your husband on the east side. I want you to know that I have your back, and I want to continue to support the work and uplift the work that you all do, not only with the Power 104.7 FM team, but I just want to let you know we see you. So thank you.

Seeing none, I want to thank everyone again.

I want to echo Vice President Yang's words of congratulations and also how important it is that we are doing this in this official space. We hope that you will not just feel welcome here today, but that you will feel welcome here every day. And even though we may be politicians, we really welcome truth-telling and unvarnished truth-telling here in this space at our public hearings and in our offices. That's how we get good work done. Thank you for the work that you do telling that truth outside of here, and we hope you will continue to do it here as well. Congratulations. And with that, we will take a vote on the motion. All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed. The resolution is adopted.

And our special meeting is adjourned. Thank you all so much.