Maura Brown, associate director, Alliance for Metropolitan Stability, moderated a panel that included Louis King, president and CEO, Summit Academy OIC; Bill Means, executive director, Minnesota State OIC Council;; Patrick Ness, Public Policy manager, Office for Social Justice, Catholic Charities, and Valerie Martinez, Indigenous People's Green Jobs Task Force in Minneapolis.

HIRE Minnesota is asking concerned community members to join the efforts by attending a rally at the Minnesota State Capitol on Monday, April 20 at 3 pm. This rally is about the economy, its about our environment, and most importantly its about equity, stated Louis King, president and CEO of Summit Academy.

HIRE Minnesota is a coalition of 60 community organizations, led by Summit Academy OIC and the Will Steger Foundation, that is seeking public investments that grow our economy, provide living wages and promote healthy communities. As our government makes decisions about how to spend millions of dollars of federal stimulus funds, HIRE Minnesota is asking that those investments create green jobs that benefit low-income communities and communities of color. In addition, HIRE Minnesota is demanding that our government be transparent and accountable in meeting its obligations to our communities.

For more information and to see a list of organizations involved in HIRE Minnesota, please visit www.hiremn.org.