Host City: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minnesota has long been a place where community-based movements have come together to win democratic reforms and to build popular power. From the breakthrough work of the Duluth NAACP and other black and racial justice organizers in the 1920s, to the racial justice and anti-police brutality work that continues on today after the shootings of Jamar Clark and Philando Castile, as well as in the storied struggles of farmers, miners, and other workers, Minnesotans consistently have taken great personal risks in seeking systemic change.  

Minnesota has been on the forefront of resistance to dirty energy projects. Minnesotans and their neighbors claimed a huge victory over Enbridge’s Sandpiper pipeline, canceled in 2016 after constant and strong opposition from indigenous communities and other environmental activists. That struggle set the stage for the Dakota Access Pipeline resistance efforts happening today. 
 
The state has a rich immigrant history that leads to the present day, with the largest concentration of Hmong individuals in the United States. People from many Latin American countries including Guatemala, Peru and Salvador call Minnesota home as well as immigrants and refugees from Somalia, Tibet, India, Khmer and more, enriching the state and its cities with global culture and concepts. This diversity makes Minneapolis an ideal hub for bringing together the varied individuals and ideas that make up the Democracy Convention. 

August in Minneapolis

Minneapolis boasts mild August weather, with temperatures typically in the high 70s and low 80s and lows in the mid to low 60s. While you are in town for the convention, you can check out the Minnesota Fringe Festival, an annual performing arts festival with over 1000 artists participating that takes place August 3 - 13, 2017. Art lovers can also tour the legendary Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, under renovation and reopening in June 2017. Everyone can appreciate the many farmers’ markets available for visitors to taste the local offerings all summer long. 
 

NEWS:

STAR TRIBUNE: In response to Trump, a new resistance forms to push back