LCC’s Year in Review

Liza Davitch

Last year was filled with growth and discovery. We gained invaluable insights from one another, as well as from the residents, partner organizations, and business owners in Greater Longfellow.
"Longfellow Community Council (LCC) went through many internal changes in 2024, but it was inspiring to see that the core of Greater Longfellow – the people – remained as driven and resilient as ever,” recounted Joel McReynolds, Executive Director. “Time and again, I witnessed community members getting things done because they care about their neighbors and are passionate about where they live. Whether it was the volunteer committee organizing the 600+ attended River Gorge Festival or a handful of neighbors getting together for a block party, the accomplishments of this neighborhood and LCC were due to the hard work of caring community members."
Last year, LCC held over 35 meetings, organized 15 events, and coordinated 10 smaller gatherings to foster community connections. We also approved 28 home improvement projects for the Home Improvement Rebate program and distributed $112,000 to supplement project costs.
We continued our work on the “Free the Deeds," a program inherited from a collective of local artists that focuses on eliminating racial covenants in our neighborhoods. So far, we’ve successfully facilitated the discharge of over 300 racially restrictive covenants across our four communities. We’re excited about our progress, and we are looking to share our process and work with other neighborhoods so they can begin their own program.
Coming out of the “Free the Deeds” program, a group of neighbors came to LCC with the concern of changing the name of Edmund Boulevard, which was named to honor the originator of many local racial covenants. The “Reclaiming Edmund Boulevard” initiative has worked to make connections with city council members, form relationships with decision makers, provide support and promote educational efforts. Learn more at https://www.reclaimingedmund.com.
Other community-led initiatives that LCC supported in 2024 included Save Cooper Playground (plaympls.org), 36th ART (36thart.org), and the Longfellow Business Association’s Summer Savings Passport (longfellowbusinessassociation.org/).
We continued to work with the City of Minneapolis to engage residents around the redevelopment of 3000 Minnehaha and the new South Minneapolis Community Safety Center. LCC also held it's own engagement sessions for 3000 Minnehaha and presented community responses to the city and our staff provided reports to city officials and the city council on the community feedback sessions in hopes that the need for greater community engagement efforts are determined to be both needed and deserved. The report also showed a need for more community engagement around that site.
As we move into the winter season, LCC’s snow shoveling program is a priority focus as we work to connect volunteer shovelers with residents in need. It makes a huge difference to our community not only for those receiving the services, but for those who depend on clear sidewalks to be able to get around.
A heartfelt thank you goes out to all our dedicated volunteers and neighbors who have engaged with LCC, as well as to those who have recently joined our committees, attended events, or supported our organization through donations.
Want to get more involved with LCC? The Environment & River Gorge Committee works on environmental projects and events in the community, while the Equitable Development Committee reviews and discusses development projects in the neighborhood.Our board meets virtually every third Tuesday of the month and the committees meet on the first Wednesday of every month. All meetings are open to the public.
If you have ideas for what you'd like to see in the new year, please don’t hesitate to reach out via email. You can reach LCC at info@longfellow.org and by visiting longfellow.org or following us on Facebook or Instagram.
Let's make next year even better together!