What is the definition of “home?”
And maybe a more important question – at least around these parts – is can the Twin Cities truly be home for professionals of color, particularly African-Americans? One person helping to answer that question in the affirmative is an area woman who had to answer the question for herself, and in doing so, decided if this is home, “it’s going to be the best possible home for people of color.”
Tasha Byers, manager of workforce initiatives for the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce (SPCC) said living in Philadelphia helped her realize the Twin Cities is where she belonged.
“In 2014 I moved to Philadelphia. I was running away,” said Byers. “I came back and I realized I wanted to build a place to stay for other people. It’s helped me to feel that I, too, belong here.”
It is that sense of belonging – or rather that lack of sense of belonging – that makes Byers work so meaningful … so needed. In a subject that has been examined for quite some time, there seems to be a greater emphasis and sense of urgency in recruiting and retaining professionals of color. As part of the Make it MSP initiative, several groups, including the Bush Foundation, Greater MSP and SPCC have joined forces to address the brain drain as it pertains to African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and others of color. While for Byers it’s personal, she said others have realized retaining a diverse workforce is vital to their bottom line.
“Simply put, it’s best for business (to have a diverse workforce),” said Byers. “This is about the economic growth and competitiveness as a region.”
No surprise to most, according to Byers, studies conducted by the Make it MSP team found that while companies in the region have done a very good job of recruiting and retaining white workers, they have been abysmal at attracting and retaining African-American talent. She said what they have found is what many already know – lack of social options and a lack of connectedness to community have many African-American professionals planning their exit almost as soon as they get settled in their northern place of residence.
In the professional role she’s been in since November, Byers has been working with area promoters and professional groups to design events and coordinate calendars in efforts to provide social opportunities for people of color. Early in August Byers and the Make it MSP team hosted a networking happy hour inside the St. Paul headquarters of Ecolab that attracted more than a couple hundred professionals of color.
“It’s about communicating and letting people know what’s out there,” said Byers.
As mentioned before, attracting professionals of color to the Twin Cities is personal to Byers. While Byers – a three-time state basketball champion from North Community High School (Minneapolis) – has a definite connection to the Twin Cities, she does not have definite ties. Though a native of the area, the only family she has here are her parents and she said they have talked about moving.
“I don’t have any other family here so I had to decide what’s keeping me here,” said Byers. “I can’t live where I don’t feel deeply rooted. My work here is what keeps me rooted.”
