Members of the Minneapolis Theater Community Help Rebuild Black-Owned Businesses Suffering Damage Due to Protests

Members of the Minneapolis theater community are coming together to help local businesses patch up broken windows and doors in the wake of the protests that have been going on in the city, CNN reports.

Many of the people volunteering their time are furloughed theater workers.

The group is calling itself University Rebuild, and the goal is to "clean up, repair, and protect communities in the Twin Cities," the group says on its Facebook page.

"Skills on the ground that we are seeing are expert knowledge of materials -- not just what tools are needed, but what types of materials are best," said the group's organizer Daisuke Kawachi. "Having the knowledge of wood, metal, stone -- all different materials that make up window frames and doors, they require different materials and different screws."

Despite just starting last week, the group has more than 100 volunteers. The team bases its work out of a local theater, and has received private financial contributions and donated construction materials.

"None of our actions are done out of charity," Kawachi told CNN. "Everything we do is in solidarity with BIPOC (black, indigenous and other people of color) communities and we are taking our cues from BIPOC leaders."

He explain that the group is focusing its efforts on Black independently-owned businesses, rather than larger companies, as they have more resources to rebuild on their own.

For those looking to help, Kawachi ensures that University Rebuild does not have a need for supplies or donations at the moment. Instead, he urges people to look to their own communities.

"Is there movement-work that is already happening that you can support? Are there BIPOC businesses you can make purchases from? And are there BIPOC voices that you can amplify?"

Read the original story on CNN.

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