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Key DEI Events

 

This is a collection of what is deemed to be events having impacts on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.  

 

See the Diversity Beam for notable DEI projects. 

 

Start Date Title Description Tags
Nov 13, 2024 10:00 AM Nov 2024 Coalition for Rochester Area Housing Alliance The non-profit housing provider Aeon, and their proposed local project at Mayo's West Transit Village. ('RAF', 'housing', 'openbeam', 'key')
Nov 12, 2024 10:00 AM RPS November Family Engagement Meeting: Students in Transition Information Session The focus for this meeting is a Students in Transition Information Session, featuring a presentation by Nicole Wibstad, RPS Students in Transition Coordinator, and Connie Cohen ('RPS', 'education', 'key')
Nov 08, 2024 08:00 AM FREC 2024 Annual Overcoming Racism Conference Morning keynote speakers: Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs and Rev. Pamela Ngunjiri Afternoon breakout workshops ('rps', 'community engagement', 'openbeam', 'key', 'Diversity')
Nov 02, 2024 05:00 PM Rochester Branch of the NAACP, 2024 Freedom Fund Banquet - Let Freedom Ring Featured Entertainment and Performers: • Patricia Lacy-Aiken Renowned vocalist Patricia Lacy-Aiken, who is a seasoned vocalist with Grammy Award-winning Sounds of Blackness, and who had a decade – long global tour with Luther Vandross as a backup singer. • LaSonya Natividad and Madison Parish Ensemble Rochester’s own LaSonya Natividad accompanied by the Madison Parish Ensemble will grace the stage, captivating audience with unique blend of jazz, blues, and a sprinkle of R&B, reflecting deep musical roots and diverse influences. • Heart & Soul Drum Academy The talented youth of the Heart & Soul Drum Academy will deliver an energetic performance of African Djembe drumming and dance, led by founder Baba Jesse Buckner. Their captivating performance showcases the beauty of culture and the power of the arts in empowering young people and community. ('diversity', 'NAACP', 'openbeam')
Nov 02, 2024 02:00 PM Journie: Selma Movie Screening and Discussions Join us for a film exploring the history of voting rights, followed by a panel discussion featuring representatives from the DFL and GOP. It's a great opportunity to learn and engage in important conversations about this vital topic. Don't miss it! Journie is a nonpartisan organization committed to educating our communities about historical facts, youth development through lived experience, political agendas, resources, and the advancement of marginalized groups. ('diversity', 'governance')
Nov 01, 2024 05:00 PM Journie: Selma Movie Screening and Discussions Join us for a film exploring the history of voting rights, followed by a panel discussion featuring representatives from the DFL and GOP. It's a great opportunity to learn and engage in important conversations about this vital topic. Don't miss it! Journie is a nonpartisan organization committed to educating our communities about historical facts, youth development through lived experience, political agendas, resources, and the advancement of marginalized groups. ('diversity', 'governance')
Oct 30, 2024 05:30 PM Financial Liberation Workshop Financial Literacy, Credit Counseling, Leadership, Coaching, Personal Finance ('NAACP', 'education', 'Diversity', 'Entrepreneurship')
Oct 29, 2024 02:00 PM Free Speech vs. Hate Speech: Understanding the Boundaries and Building Resilient Communities Cohosts: Winona State, RCTC: This timely event will feature two key sessions aimed at exploring the balance between free speech and hate speech, as well as the impacts of hate on marginalized communities. We will be moderating the discussions. ('diversity', 'civic engagement')
Oct 26, 2024 01:00 PM Juneteenth Reckoning with Slavery MN African American History ('diversity',)
Oct 22, 2024 12:30 PM Cradle to Career: High School Graduation Network Check-in, Announcements and Updates, Workgroups, Share, Checkout ('youth', 'c2c', 'education', 'key')
Oct 18, 2024 04:00 PM Asian Pacific Minnesotans Leadership Awards Dinner We the People: 40 Years of empowering Asian Pacific Minnesotans ('diversity', 'Asian')
Oct 17, 2024 12:00 PM Vision 2050 at Kiwanis Club of Rochester 20 minutes session with Kiwanis Day Makers: Introduction and Conversations to obtain inputs ('Kiwanis', 'vision', 'key')
Oct 15, 2024 09:00 AM Vision 2050 at Kiwanis Day Makers 20 minutes session with Kiwanis Day Makers: Introduction and Conversations to obtain inputs ('Kiwanis', 'openbeam', 'key')
Oct 14, 2024 12:00 PM Indigenous Peoples Day ('diversity',)
Oct 11, 2024 10:00 AM Oct 11, 2024 Community Co-design Setting Context: Equitable engagement and collaboration (Wafa & Chao) 15 minutes  Forms of equity  Co-design is not beginning or end of any project  Role of co-design in equity and systems approaches What ways have you seen co-design meet the semi-explicit and implicit levels of change? Describe how. What criteria/principles must be followed to ensure equity? o What ways have you seen co-design not practiced in equitable ways? What specifically was missed in that opportunity? o What strategies, approaches, and/or tools (other than co-design) help us meet the semi-explicit and implicit levels ('CMRC', 'key')
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Filed under: key

Two types of event information being shared in the following:

1. A list of Beam aware upcoming community events of all types. 

2. A list of noteworthy past events that have one or more of the following contents: presentation slides, video recordings as well as takeaways. 

Upcoming Events
Oct 2026 RPS Family Engagement Oct 06, 2026 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM — Virtual
2026 Rochester General Election City Council and Mayor Candidate Forum Oct 06, 2026 06:30 PM - 09:00 PM — Christ United Methodist Church
AARP Election 2026 - What Voters Need to Know Oct 07, 2026 11:30 AM - 01:30 PM — Cascade Meadows Wetlands & Environmental Science Center, 2900 19th Street Northwest, Rochester, MN, 55901
Managing Difficult Conversations with Constituents - Rochester (For Elected Officials and Admin Staff) Oct 13, 2026 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM — Rochester Public Utilities 4000 East River Road Northeast, #2813
Skills for Disagreeing Better - Rochester Oct 13, 2026 01:00 PM - 02:30 PM — RCTC Heintz Center, 1926 Collegeview Road East, Rochester, MN 55904
All Things SBDC - 2026 Oct 13, 2026 02:00 PM - 02:45 PM — Virtual
Depolarizing Ourselves Oct 13, 2026 03:30 PM - 05:00 PM — RCTC Heintz Center, 1926 Collegeview Road East, Rochester, MN 55904
Congressional Debate Oct 13, 2026 06:00 PM - 07:30 PM — KAAL Digital Platforms
Finding Community in Our Differences - Rochester Oct 13, 2026 06:30 PM - 08:00 PM — RCTC Heintz Center, 1926 Collegeview Road East, Rochester, MN 55904
Work Smarter with AI Oct 14, 2026 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM — Virtual
Upcoming events…
Community News

This panel displays the latest community news. For a standalone view please click this LINK.



Annual Action Plan - Community Development Block Grant Allocations

  • 2027 Annual Action Plan - Community Development Block Grant Allocations; Video Recording, Presentation 
  • 2026 Annual Action Plan - Community Development Block Grant Allocations; Video Recording, Presentation 

Last Updated September 20, 2026



Sherman Mixed Housing Mayo Civic Center Parking Lot

Sep 18, 2026: Ground Breaking

July 6, 2026: City Council Meeting - Extension of agreement

May 2026 DMCC Board Meeting: Status Update

June 3, 2024 City Council Meeting 

Council action is requested to continue development negotiations with Sherman Associates and conditionally approve development assistance of up to $13,000,000 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) assistance and up to $3,000,000 in DMC General State Infrastructure Aid.  

Last Updated September 18, 2026



Momentum 30

Four pillars to drive Momentum 30

Case for Investment

Last Updated September 17, 2026



2027 Olmsted County Tax Levy

Sep 16, 2026 Press Release: Preliminary 2027 Olmsted County levy: $151,350,166, Preliminary 2027 Olmsted County billed levy: $149,769,949 (amount to be billed to taxpayers due to 2026 levy overpayment being applied to 2027).

Last Updated September 16, 2026



Braver Angels News

  • 2026 - Oct events: Sep 2026 Newsletter; Aug 2026 Newsletter, Mar 6 Volunteer Opportunities, Feb Citizens Commission on Immigration Outreach
  • 2025, 24 - Mar 2025 Newsletters: End birthright citizenship? Apr 2024 Braver Angels Newsletter: 2024 National Convention; National Debate: Should we be colorblind?

 

Last Updated September 16, 2026



RPS Family Engagement Opportunities

Sep 2026: Care Giver & Parent Empowerment (CAPE); Supporting Youth: Mental Health  

Apr 2026 Family Engagement Policy Meetings

Jan 2026 Announcements: Family Engagement, Caregiver and Parent Empowerment 

Last Updated September 11, 2026



Reimagining 6th Ave West - Project Update

Sep 9, 2026 City Council Update

Mar 2 2025 City Council: Memo, Video, Presentation

Sep 2025 Press Release: City of Rochester Launches “Reimagining Sixth Avenue W” to Reconnect Downtown Mobility Network

Last Updated September 10, 2026



CHATEAU THEATRE OPERATING ANALYSIS UPDATE

Sep 9, 2026 City Council Action Chateau Strategy

Aug 10, 2026 City Council Study Session  Council to review planning-level capital investment needs identified through both the City’s facility assessment and the Legends Global operating analysis.

Last Updated September 08, 2026



Director of Equity & Organizational Development Introduction

 Sep 2026: Introducing Crystal Fairchild, Director of Equity & Organizational Development

 

Last Updated September 06, 2026



6th Street Bridge RAISE grant

Aug 2026: Revised to "Up to $19.9 million from USDOT." 

Aug 2022: The City of Rochester has been awarded a $19.9 million dollar United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant.

Last Updated August 24, 2026



Rochester Public Transit

Aug 23, 2026 City Council Study Session: Transit Financial Sustainability - Rochester Public Transit (RPT) is currently operating under financial conditions that are not sustainable over the long term.

Last Updated August 24, 2026



Rochester, MN Supplemental Budget

2026 Aug 23 City Council Study Session, Apr 13 City Council Study Session on 2027 Supplemental Budget

2022-08-22 City Council Study Session on 2023 Supplemental Budget

Last Updated August 23, 2026



Economic Vibrancy & Growth Management

Aug 24, 2026 City Council Study Session: Economic Mobility Updates

Sep 2024 City Council Study Session: City teammates providing an update on this work, specifically regarding legacy public infrastructure projects, Unbound, infrastructure investments and regulatory milestones.  

Last Updated August 23, 2026



OpenBeam events log

Sep 2026: Metrics LINKS

Aug 2026: Tech related info

Aug 2026 Notable Beam Events Log: Topics Include: Q2 Real Estate Stats; Workforce Housing & Regional Workforce Trends; Building Trust in an Age of Skepticism; Land Use Revenue Analysis; Tax Increment Financial Studies

Last Updated August 21, 2026



Broadway 309-317 Appeal of Certificate for Appropriateness

Aug 17, 2026 City Council Meeting: In a 4-3 vote, the Rochester City Council overturned a decision by the Heritage Preservation Commission to reject a redevelopment proposal for five historic buildings on the 300 block of South Broadway Avenue.

Aug, 2026  PB reporting

Last Updated August 20, 2026



Transportation: ROCOG Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP)

2027-2030: Transportation Improvement Plan, Press Release

2024 - 2027 Transportation Plan 

2023 - 2026 Transportation Plan: The Rochester-Olmsted Council of Governments (ROCOG) has released a draft of the 2023-2026 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), for a 30-day public comment period. 

Last Updated August 18, 2026



National Community Survey

2026 City Survey: Open to residents responses

2024 and 2022 NCS Surveys: Presentation/Reports

2018 City Survey.: June 2018 Resident Survey Summary

Last Updated August 17, 2026



SBDC Rochester, Spring 2025

Sep 2026: Small Business Support Series

SBDC Apr 2025 Business Workshops...SBDC Day and workshop opportunities: "If you have an upcoming business event or celebration, please let us know! We would love to stop by for a RIBBON CUTIING for any of your business." milestones:

 

Last Updated August 14, 2026



Homelessness Dashboard, Street Medicine, The TABLE and Any Path Home Info

Aug 14, 2026:Homeless Info: Any Path Home Dashboard; Mayo Clinic Street Medicine

Mar 2026 Rochester Area Housing Alliance: Any Path Home and The TABLE

 

Last Updated August 14, 2026



Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Barriers Study

Aug 10, City Council Study Session: Equitable Economic Development

Apr 2025 City Council Study Session:  (1) DBE Study Session to City Council April 17, 2023 , (2) Memo to DMCC Board; 

Last Updated August 13, 2026