Who Are We?

Our Mission

CREAATEC is a group of African American community members and business owners, who collectively have been affected by the criminalization of marijuana. We are aligned around a mission to ensure that the expanded economy and job creation referred to by Governor Walz, and intended by the legislature are created equitably and with an eye towards reducing the economic disparities between African Americans and Whites in Minnesota. Our collective consists of community leaders and business owners who are from and truly represent the communities most affected by the criminalization of cannabis.

Background

May 20th, 2023 the State of Minnesota took a historic step in creating equity in Black and Brown communities by legalizing cannabis with bipartisan support. Governor Walz, who signed the law into effect, noted that "By legalizing adult-use cannabis, we're expanding our economy, creating jobs, and regulating the industry to keep Minnesotans safe," Democratic Sen Lindsey Port of Burnsville, stated the law works to undo “some of the harm that we have done as a state through the prohibition of cannabis.”

That harm specifically targeted communities of color, where people of color, especially African Americans“ were more likely than whites to be arrested for minor offenses, and to suffer lasting consequences in employment and housing.”

Much of that impact is represented in the economic disparities experienced by African Americans in Minnesota:

• The median African American income is $38,178 vs the median white income of $84,459

• Black unemployment is 2x that of the white community

• The black poverty rate in the Twin Cities area is roughly 25%, which is over four times the white poverty rate of 5.9%

Those economic disparities cascade down to untenable disparities in home ownership and educational performance that impact the future and quality of life of our great state of Minnesota.