The Best of America: Minnesotans Show their Heart

As Minnesota continues to reel following the tragic killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and the ongoing impacts of the federal enforcement surge, the best of Minnesota and America is showing up.

Neighbors are delivering groceries, bringing kids to school, and helping those who are too scared to leave their homes. People are stepping out in the freezing cold to peacefully protest and use their voices to defend our community and our country. Observers are playing a critical role to document dangerous and reckless enforcement and ensure justice.

McKnight Foundation stands with all those choosing love and solidarity in the face of fear. The resources below provide more information for ways to help in this moment.

Resources for Minnesotans
Ways You Can Support
Download & Share Graphics
Download & Share Graphics

Voices of Courage, Care & Community

Families, students, and neighbors are still being harmed by federal immigration activities in Minnesota. Many are choosing whether it’s safe to go to school, open a business, or leave home—and we can’t stay silent. That’s why we’re lifting up stories of courage, care, and community, so we can show the country what is possible when Minnesotans stand together. Please watch and share, and use your voice, too.

Ma Elena

“What brings me hope is that everybody got together.”

Ma Elena
Fe y Justicia

Ali Ahmed

“I’ve never seen this kind of heart and kindness.”

Ali Ahmed
Greater Minnesota Worker Center

Chad Schwitters

“It’s been amazing how Minnesotans have helped one another.”

Chad Schwitters
McKnight Foundation

Abdikadir Bashir

“We’ve seen neighbors standing up for neighbors.”

Abdikadir Bashir
Center for African Immigrants and Refugees

Marcq Sung

“This is what it means to be human—together.”

Marcq Sung
McKnight Foundation

Francisco Segovia

“People see that the well-being of my neighbor is my well-being.”

Francisco Segovia
COPAL

Ricardo Levins Morales

“We have never seen solidarity like this.”

Ricardo Levins Morales
Minneapolis Artist and Organizer

Tools for Speaking Up

Use your voice and your platforms to speak up. The good people of Minnesota—and all people who live in America—deserve to live in peace and without fear of being targeted and losing fundamental rights and freedoms. We need to stand up for our neighbors and speak up to preserve the fundamental rights and liberties upon which we all rely.

Below are some images that represent how the best of Minnesota and America are showing up in the worst of circumstances and how, even in the harshest of winters, Minnesotans have the warmest of hearts. Feel free to download and share these images with the hashtags #BestofMinnesota and #BestofAmerica.

I show up. I give. I care.
I observe. I preserve families, dignity, justice, democracy.
I observe. I preserve families, safety, law & order, democracy.
I observe. I preserve families, dignity, justice, democracy.
I observe. I preserve.
I observe. I preserve families, dignity, justice, democracy.
I show up. I give. I care.
I observe. I preserve justice.
I observe. I preserve democracy.
I observe. I preserve families, dignity, justice, democracy.
I observe. I preserve families.
Download All Graphics
I observe. I preserve families, dignity, justice, democracy.

Ways You Can Offer Support

Across Minnesota, we are seeing extraordinary acts of quiet courage and care as neighbors step up to protect one another in the face of increased ICE activity. Immigrant-owned businesses, community groups, and everyday Minnesotans are finding ways to keep families safe, fed, and supported—often at real personal and financial cost.

Minnesota is stronger when we care for one another—and when we act together to ensure everyone can live, work, and care for their loved ones with dignity and safety.

For those asking, “What can I do?” there are meaningful, tangible ways to show up right now:

  • Make a financial contribution to community-led efforts supporting families impacted by the federal surge: standwithminnesota.com maintains a growing list of official fundraisers and mutual aid opportunities.
  • Learn and share additional ways to take action by reading this helpful resource from Sahan Journal.
  • Support immigrant-owned businesses offering delivery or modified services by ordering directly, tipping generously, and spreading the word.
  • Check in on coworkers, classmates, and neighbors who may be afraid to travel, and offer to help with errands, food delivery, or cost-sharing.
Photo credit: Sahan Journal
Photo credit: Sahan Journal

Important Resources for Minnesotans

Several Minnesota-based organizations are helping to educate the public to know and exercise their rights—safely, peacefully, with care for one another—and with a focus on de-escalation and bearing witness to what is taking place where we all live and work, where our kids go to school, at our hospitals and bus stops, our stores and places of worship.

COPAL, Immigrant Defense Network, Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, CAIR-MN, and Unidos MN (among others) offer education and training on community safety, constitutional observing, and what to do if you encounter federal agents. Below are resources these organizations provide.

If you witness or are directly impacted and need support:

  • COPAL/Immigrant Defense Network Helpline, 612-255-3112
  • Monarca Rapid Response Line, 612-612-441-2881

If you or a family member is being detained:

  • Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota, 651-641-1011 (Monday-Thursday 1-3pm)
  • Council on American-Islamic Relations, 612-206-3360 (call or text)
  • Monarca Legal Q&A and Referrals, 651-372-8642
Photo credit: Immigrant Defense Network
Photo credit: Immigrant Defense Network

McKnight Voices in This Moment

“I have seen first-hand heartbreaking and horrifying actions by federal agents who are supposed to protect us from harm. But you don’t have to live in our state to understand that if philanthropy — and every other part of our society — fails to push back with every tool we have, we risk setting a precedent for broader, widespread attacks on Americans’ civil liberties and freedoms.”

– Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation | Chronicle of Philanthropy

“We march together no matter the temperature, no matter the fear inflicted, no matter the hatred weaponized, because of our love for humanity. We love our friends and our family and our neighbors, even the ones we don’t know so well, even the ones we may on occasion disagree with. And this love makes violence and injustice unacceptable.”

– Bao Phi, Arts & Culture Program Officer, McKnight Foundation | Time Magazine

“Patriotism isn’t passive. If we love this country, then we must defend our constitutional rights and our neighbors. And we must continue to protest peacefully, assert our American privileges to hold government accountable, and demand justice for Ms. Good and all others who have been harmed by the reckless and chaotic enforcement activities we are experiencing across our state.”

– Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation | Statement

“This fear doesn’t just cut off income, but the everyday connections that help families stay anchored in place—isolating families and disrupting the daily routines that keep neighborhoods, schools, and local economies strong.”

– Muneer Karcher-Ramos, Vibrant & Equitable Communities Program Director, McKnight Foundation | Statement

“The real story is about the Minnesotans who refuse to respond with fear or fury. People who are showing up with love of community, neighbor, and country. Ordinary people, community leaders, and institutions stepping forward to peacefully insist on our constitutional rights. They are right now modeling not just the best of Minnesota, but the best of America.”

– Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation | Statement

“All of us working on climate change know that it is an existential issue—we are working to build a future that is more sustainable, and one where everyone can thrive. At the same time, for many Minnesotans, the hatred and division being forced upon us is existential as well. I believe we all have a role to play in showing up in this moment, and demonstrating that the just, abundant, and creative future we are working toward must include all of us.”

– Ben Passer, Midwest Climate & Energy Program Director, McKnight Foundation | LinkedIn

“It’s important that we continue to show up for our neighbors, our community, and our nation… Minnesota is strong and resolute—and we all must be to preserve the America we know and want to be. Our rights and freedoms are at stake, do not look away, do not stay silent.”

– Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation | LinkedIn

“Artists and culture bearers are key in the fight for democracy. We are at the forefront of making change happen—organizing, imagining, and leading. Artists don’t just document and respond to movements; they create the soundtracks that animate and make movements irresistible.”

– DeAnna Cummings, Arts & Culture Program Director, McKnight Foundation | LinkedIn

“My heart is heavy for loss of life of Renee Nicole Good—a daughter, a mother, a neighbor, a leader, a champion of democracy—and I mourn with her family and loved ones. I am concerned about what may come next for our community and state, and others across the nation, unless something changes.”

– Tonya Allen, President, McKnight Foundation | Statement

“Future generations will remember not only what we did to protect our environment, but also what we did to protect our neighbors and the freedoms we too often take for granted.”

– Ben Passer, Midwest Climate & Energy Program Director, McKnight Foundation | Atmos

“Immigrant communities across Minnesota are facing serious harm right now, and I’m angry and deeply unsettled by it. What’s happening goes against our shared belief as Minnesotans in treating everyone with fairness and dignity. Minnesotans are stepping up—organizing rides so people can get to work safely, raising mutual aid funds to help families stay housed and fed, and standing outside children’s schools to make sure kids feel protected. That care and solidarity will carry us forward.”

– Muneer Karcher-Ramos, Vibrant & Equitable Communities Program Director, McKnight Foundation

“Minnesotans believe in hard work and looking out for each other. We’re proud to be a place where anyone—whether they were born here or chose to make their home here—can put down roots and build a better future for their family. Our modern Minnesota, with its resilient economy and vibrant communities, is the product of our immigrant ancestors and neighbors.”

– McKnight Foundation | Statement
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