Local Leader and Author Jamie Schumacher

Article by Becky Fillinger

Jamie SchumacherJamie Schumacher is the Associate Program Officer for Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC). In that position she works with the Twin Cities cultural and creative districts. She’s also the author of a new book, Butterflies and Tall Bikes, that highlights the Cedar-Riverside/West Bank community. She talked to us about Minneapolis cultural districts and how to explore local communities – it’s like an international vacation - without leaving your home.

Q:  Please tell us more about your master's degree in innovation in nonprofit management. How have you used innovation in the nonprofits you've managed and counseled?

A:  I went back to school for my master’s degree (at the University of Minnesota!) around 2008. I wanted to focus on small nonprofits specifically. By that point I had already been working in the sector for a while and I wasn’t interested in the out-of-the-box standard program, which mostly covers the basics of nonprofit organizational structures. Instead, I did a hybrid. I researched nonprofit boards and studied how they could be more effective, especially for small, grassroots organizations. 

At the time, non-traditional models weren’t as common, and they were (and still are) often overlooked for funding. This is true even though they can serve their communities well, often better, than traditionally structured nonprofits.  

When working with nonprofits, I try to keep in mind that just because something is the traditional way of doing things, that doesn’t mean it’s the best way to do them. We can look to alternative models - or something new entirely! 

Q:  You've done work with Minneapolis’s city-designated cultural districts. What are these districts?   

A:  The city currently has seven city-designated cultural districts.  

• Cedar-Riverside/West Bank
• Central Avenue
• West Broadway
• Franklin Avenue (the American Indian Cultural Corridor)
• Lake Street
• 38th Street
• Lowry North

There are, of course, cultural and creative corridors and pockets beyond these seven, but these are the first ones the city of Minneapolis is including with its cultural district policy rollout. 

Q:  You were instrumental in getting Cedar-Riverside designated as a cultural district. Why was this important to you? What did you learn from your encounters with the residents of Cedar-Riverside?

A:  Cedar-Riverside/West Bank is a cultural district. But before the city began its policy, the neighborhood had already been using this type of language to self-identify for years -“An immigrant hub,” “a global gateway,” a “cultural corridor,” “home.” 

The city’s policy was set to include resources and amenities for cultural districts and spaces that have been left out, or lined out, of resources. 

Cedar-Riverside can get overlooked so often, and it was important to make sure the neighborhood wasn’t left out of that equation. When we weren’t at the table for those conversations, our friends in other districts helped us crash the party to make sure we were included. Council member Abdi Warsame and his staff helped lean on the city and make some noise, to make sure the West Bank/Cedar Riverside was included in the rollout. 

Q:  You're the author of a new book, Butterflies and Tall Bikes. It's part narrative, along with compelling interviews, and neighborhood history in vignette-style chapters that paint a picture of the West Bank Business Association and Cedar-Riverside/West Bank neighborhood. Who is the audience for your book?   What will we learn from reading the book?

With so many voices in it, I do think there’s something for most people to connect with in the pages - so the audience for this book is more general – including somebody who loves Minneapolis, music, or the West Bank. Other audiences would be readers who love history and travel, and experiencing new places. 

One of my reviewers called it “a trip in a book” which sounded almost cliche at the time, but as others read it, I’ve been hearing more of that sentiment. Given the current pandemic travel limitations, I feel like we can all use a little extra travel adventure - even if it’s via the page. 

Q:  Will you do readings of the book? I'm sure many Mill District (and many other local) organizations would love to attend a reading, either in person or via Zoom.

A:  Yes! I’m attaching a graphic that details events and activities for anyone that’s interested, including a listening party for May 27th, when the book will be featured on The Current’s Rock and Roll Book Club.

Q:  Do you have plans to write books about the city's other cultural districts?

A:  Yes! I really hope to. It will likely also be narrative non-fiction, with interviews included throughout the text. I’ve started interviewing my friends and colleagues from the other cultural and creative districts throughout the Twin Cities for this next effort - as well as my parents and other members of my family, most of whom are immigrants to America. 

Q:  Where did your parents emigrate from?

A:  Thanks for asking! Mom from Poland and Dad from Sri Lanka. 

Q:  Do you have any advice for people who might like to write about their neighborhoods?

A: First off, I would say: definitely do it! Story collection and preservation is so important, and I think it’s a way we can pay respect to our elders and those that do so much for our neighborhoods and communities.

I took a class once with Nneka Onwuzurike, a creative colleague and friend. Her class was called Heirlooms, and it was about how we can ethically and authentically write about even challenging family situations. One method she talked about was the collaborative method and how that can make the process respectful and shared, breaking down the power dynamic a bit. So often we think of writing as a solitary thing - something that’s just about the author. But I think, when you’re writing about a neighborhood you have an obligation to make sure to the best of your ability you are representing the neighborhood in an accurate way - ideally the way the neighborhood would like to be portrayed. 

I tried to do this by interviewing a broad cross-section of members from the community. While I do talk about my experience and adventures, they are interwoven with these voices. Residents old and new, business owners past and present. Those I interviewed were able to read and approve of how they were being portrayed, and make sure their words were well represented on the page. They were also invited to review the full book, to make sure their words and interviews weren’t being used out-of-context. 

Q:  That’s a wonderfully inclusive approach to writing about a community. How may we follow your news?

A:  I’m very active on social media, and folks can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I also send out a semi-regular newsletter, which you can sign up for on my website.