Start Diversity for Gender Equality began in 2022 as an advocacy group called "Until Justice" in Brooklyn Center and
Brooklyn Park in Minnesota USA. Every other weekend (Friday & Saturday), the group's volunteers
provided free consultative support services to women and girls including boys who are mostly victims of gender-based violence, discrimination,and
abandonment and also to any victim who walks in from underserved black communities.
The support service centers varied as the volunteers were able to secure
space - living rooms and basements but they were always full and volunteers had to turn people away. It soon became clear that Until Justice, well-meaning as it was, missed the mark in some important ways.
The rotating locations made it hard to find; the people providing the
service had little input because the victims were scared to come out due to confidentiality concerns; service providers had insufficient information
regarding how they could make the program more effective and accessible;
and Until Justice only function during the summer.
Despite this, the fact that living rooms and basements were always bursting each time revealed just how much gender-based violence or discrimination there was in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park - and the cities needed a larger and more comprehensive programs.
In 2024, Start Diversity for Gender Equality was established as a 501 (C)(3) organization, with the help of the black community. The organization has
grown from a staff to seven full-time, Part-time staff and our 25 volunteers,
with the ability to help ease gender inequalities in numerous ways for thousands of Minnesota residents each year.
Our board of directors, once composed of volunteers from the south side plus a few north side members, now has a majority of member from the north who have personally been affected by discrimination. Our members 5-person
board represent our corporate and institutional partners and/ or bring
specific expertise or resources to the organization. The board is made up of 95 percent people of color.