Former Race and Equity ED lashes out at Minneapolis city officials, assails two Black councilwomen's "anti-Black sentiment"
MINNEAPOLIS – The former Executive Director of Minneapolis' Division of Race, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging, has left her position after nearly a year on the job, and has threatened to file a lawsuit against at least one city councilwoman.
Tyeastia Green, who was hired in March 2022, issued the threat in a scathing 14-page memo she sent to Mayor Jacob Frey and other city officials, blasting what she called a "toxic" work environment, which reflected "antiblack sentiment" - even among its two black city councilwomen.
"I don't believe the city as an enterprise is concerned about having an antiracist organization," Green said in the memo, dated March 6th. "The city, as an enterprise, is concerned about optics."
Green's rift with the city largely revolves around the "I Am My Ancestors' Wildest Dreams Expo," a Black History Month celebration and event that took place on February 25th. Green and her team managed the event, and during the initial planning said that she anticipated it could draw up 20,000 people. The event, however, ran into financial issues, with city taxpayers eventually footing the bill of nearly half-a-million dollars.
Attendance was also underwhelming, which was especially apparent in the cavernous Convention Center. According to Green, the climate at City Hall and among city staff were to blame for the event's demise.
"The central theme from August to the present was that the enterprise leadership would put up every barrier to ensure that I failed," she wrote. "However, as a leader, I didn't fail because, against all odds, I brought something to the residents of Minneapolis that no one else in the enterprise has – a celebration of Black contributions, Black excellence, and Black History."
City Council President Andrea Jenkins, as well as LaTrisha Vetaw, the city councilwoman from North Minneapolis, were among the direct targets of Green's accusations; both Jenkins and Vetaw are Black.
"Blacks can utilize Antiblackness and racism against other Blacks," Green charged, describing an interaction with Jenkins as "disrespectful" and "belligerent."
Regarding Vetaw, who Green at the end of the memo directly threatens with a lawsuit, Green added, "CM Vetaw has made it her mission to spread lies and defame my character with the community
regarding the I Am Expo."
"It's shameful." City officials, Congresswoman Vetaw reject Green's accusations
Casper Hill, a spokesman for the City of Minneapolis, confirmed Green's departure on March 13, but declined to comment on the circumstances, citing personnel issues.
The city, however, "disagrees" with Green's account of what happened, Hill countered, and said "it's disappointing" for city staff to be "publicly criticized for the hard work they do on behalf of Minneapolis and its residents."
Councilwoman Vetaw, meanwhile, flatly rejected Green's accusations.
"One thing that's very important to me is to feel like I'm representing the people who look like me down here. And so to be called 'anti-Black' is just disgusting to me," Vetaw said. "It hurts. It's disrespectful. It's shameful. Like it's so many things that you feel."
According to Vetaw, she was thrilled with the idea of the Expo but was disappointed to learn that Green hired an event planner from out of state to run the event instead of a local Black-owned business. Nonetheless, Vetaw said she voted with the council to approve $435,000 in funding for the expo.
"There are people who dream of having contracts with the City of Minneapolis, that have been born and raised here. Black folks who I see everyday, who were born and raised in the community I live in. I had to say to them I voted for someone in Atlanta to get that. This is not about me at all. It's about the people who I love in Minneapolis who deserve better."
City officials also confirmed to WCCO that the City Auditor, Ryan Patrick, told council members of his intent to conduct a formal review of the Expo in response to "external concerns" that were shared with the city.
Council President Jenkins did not respond to WCCO for comment. A spokesman for Green said she was traveling out of town on Tuesday but is eager to share her story upon her return.