Urban Ventures joins the nation in mourning the death of Colin Powell. Gen. Powell was the nation’s first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of state. More than that, Colin Powell remained a friend of our South Minneapolis neighborhood for the last fifteen years.

The Colin Powell Center is the central hub of Urban Ventures’ work in the city, as well as home to the Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. Opened in 2007, the building has become a mainstay at the intersection of Lake and 4th Avenue and provided a home base for the important work of supporting local kids as they work towards a better future.

The cause was close to Gen. Powell’s heart. He often described himself as “a Black kid of no early promise from an immigrant family of limited means.” In 1997 he founded America’s Promise, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting at-risk youth.

That commitment to supporting the underserved made Colin Powell a perfect namesake for the new center in South Minneapolis. In 2000, Gen. Powell agreed to lend his name to the building, saying, “I’ve received lots of awards and medals in the course of my career. But what could be a better award — a better recognition — than to have your name on a place where young people will be educated and get ready to be leaders in the future?”

Colin Powell remained a supporter and advocate for Urban Ventures’ work in Minneapolis. In one of his numerous visits to the Colin Powell Center he remarked, "The major challenge we have in the twenty-first century is to make sure that every child is pointed in the right direction and given the character and competence they need to be successful in life. It begins in places like this where children come and see adults who are caring about them, and believe in them, and who give them what they need to be successful in life."

Urban Ventures is grateful for the legacy of Gen. Colin Powell. Not only as a public figure and leader in our nation, but as an example of the great heights we believe each of our local youth are capable of no matter the challenging circumstances of their childhood.

If you wish to continue the legacy of Colin Powell’s work in South Minneapolis, you can make a donation in Gen. Powell’s memory.