North Minneapolis holds a documented but underrecognized role in the history of Black American music. In the mid-20th century, Northside institutions including Phyllis Wheatley Community Center provided housing and hospitality to Black artists touring through Minneapolis who were excluded from downtown hotels under segregation-era policies.
This tradition of cultural stewardship laid the groundwork for a generation of Northside-raised artists who significantly shaped American popular music, including Prince (born and raised in North Minneapolis), Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Jellybean Johnson, and the Grammy-winning ensemble Sounds of Blackness under the direction of Gary Hines. KMOJ 89.9 FM — Minnesota's oldest Black-owned radio station, founded in 1976.
Despite this remarkable musical legacy, the Northside has never hosted a jazz festival of its own. The Northside Jazz & Heritage Festival is designed to change that anchor a recurring annual cultural institution that the community owns and stewards over time.
"This festival is built to be bigger than any one of us. It's about the community, the heritage, and the generations who came before and who come next. The North Side has shaped American music in ways that often go unrecognized — this festival celebrates that legacy where it lives, with the people who built it."
— Kenya McKnight-Ahad, Founder & CEO, Black Women's Wealth Alliance
FESTIVAL FOUNDERS & PARTNERS
Strong roots FOUNDATION
Strong Roots is a community event production organization led by founder Shemeka Bogan, a longtime Northside resident and community leader. The organization coordinates large-scale festivals, community events, and youth programming across Minnesota — from the North Side to downtown Minneapolis, South Minneapolis, and beyond. Strong Roots leads the annual Open Streets West Broadway corridor event and coordinates community programming including Juneteenth on West Broadway, the Northside Arts Crawl, and Holidays on West Broadway. For the Northside Jazz & Heritage Festival, Strong Roots co-founded the festival concept and leads event production, vendor coordination, permitting, and day-of operations.
Black Women's Wealth Alliance (BWWA)
Black Women's Wealth Alliance (BWWA) is a Minnesota-based economic leadership institution led by founder and CEO Kenya McKnight-Ahad, a longtime Northside leader. Founded in 2014, BWWA serves Foundational Black American women across the state through the framework of Economic Agency — building the ability to direct income, assets, capital, and long-term strategy toward ownership and generational prosperity. BWWA owns and operates the building at 1200 West Broadway, home to its Career and Economic Hub and the ZaRah cultural and wellness ecosystem. For the Northside Jazz & Heritage Festival, BWWA co-founded the festival concept and leads cultural curation, programming direction, artist booking, and marketing across its networks.
WEST BROADWAY BUSINESS & AREA COALITION (WBC)
West Broadway Business & Area Coalition (WBC) is a Northside nonprofit organization led by Executive Director Kristel Porter, who was born and raised on the North Side. WBC supports business vitality, community viability, and cultural programming along the West Broadway corridor through facade improvement grants, business development resources, and signature events including Open Streets West Broadway, Black Business Week, and the Northside Business Luncheons. For the Northside Jazz & Heritage Festival, WBC co-founded the festival, serves as the fiscal sponsor, manages grant funding and communications, and contributes the corridor relationships and infrastructure that make this festival possible.
This festival is made possible through the support of:
