Graves Ventures featured leader: Alondra Cano

After the Minneapolis uprising in response to George Floyd’s murder, Alondra Cano worried that gentrification and instability threatened to erase the Latin American community from Lake Street. Alondra, a grassroots organizer and former Minneapolis City Councilmember, has long been passionate about ensuring that policy-making is driven by grassroots organizing that includes local artists and musicians who can promote racial healing and drive economic sustainability. 

As a Graves Ventures leader, Alondra was able to take what was a juicy challenge and turn it into an incredible opportunity. Now, as the Director of Cultural Innovation and the Creative Economy for Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Alondra’s job is to facilitate the cultural rebirth of Lake Street.

The Lake Street story
Alondra believes that one of the hallmarks of a resilient community is the vibrancy of its cultural workers and makers. While infrastructure, investment, and development all are important, another marker of vitality is a community’s ability to cultivate and support cultural bearers.  

Graves Ventures’s interest in Alondra Cano’s leadership arose from their shared values of community-building and the mutual trust and interest in partnering on Lake Street revitalization. The Graves Foundation’s office location on Lake Street, coupled with Alondra’s track record of leadership, systems change, and experimental spirit, made her an ideal leader for Graves Ventures to invest in. 

“This corridor has served as a gateway for immigrants for most of the city’s history,” Cano says. She notes that while Norwegians and Swedes were the area’s first shopkeepers and residents, the neighborhood is now home to the next wave of new Americans – Latino entrepreneurs and East African business owners. “It’s important to acknowledge that Lake Street lived through the heaviest impact of the civil unrest,” she adds. “I think people forget the depth of the destruction and the severe traumatic impact, because this community is so resilient. But, no matter how ‘back to business’ things seem, there are many people who haven’t healed yet. At LISC, we’re here to participate in that healing process by centering the role of culture to build a more equitable Lake Street.”

 Making a difference
The business owners of Lake Street are part of a creative and hopeful community, Cano says. One example of a Lake Street entrepreneur hoping for a brighter future is Ricardo Hernandez, owner of La Michoacana Purepecha, a shop on East Lake Street that sells paletas, popsicles and ice cream. “He’s currently renting his space, and his dream is to own his own building,” she says. “I was so impressed when I talked to him,” Cano says. “I realized he’s been doing a great job already, without outside help, so I imagined what would happen if he got the ‘wraparound’ interventions we provide to help cultural innovators reach new heights. Today, Ricardo is on a strong path toward owning his own building. He’s committed to the people of Lake Street, and we’re partnering with him to build the staying power this cultural corridor needs.”

Another major effort toward revitalization will be taking place in the empty lot that is the former location of Robert’s Shoe Store, which was destroyed by a boiler room fire in 2018. The three-story Lake Street building had been the site for many affordable artist studios. Now, the hope is that it can become a new cultural hub and anchor for the community. Cano’s work on that effort, she says, has been to be a “connective tissue” for all the stakeholders. 

Partnering with Graves Ventures
Of the Ventures partnership, Alondra says she appreciates the partnership in action. “Graves is the true definition of philanthropy and partnership in action,” Cano says. “They’re able to identify new talent and invest in establishing deeply rooted community relationships. This instinct allows them to be relevant, responsive, and forward-thinking. They’re on the front lines of innovation, and they bring so much fresh air into the room.” Working with Graves has been a rewarding experience for her organization: “We’re nourishing the soil in new ways and hopefully we’ll see beautiful flowers soon.”

Join us on October 6th to learn more about Alondra’s leadership and celebrate the launch of Graves Ventures!