Adriana CerRillo

MPLS Board of Education Election

Ms. Cerrillo was the underdog going into the race. It was a crowded field of candidates and she lacked major endorsements.

We distinguished her in two ways: positioning her as not only an activist but also a mother, and keeping her campaign messaging as simple as possible—funding for students.

This messaging resonated with voters because her opponents focused on more complex issues that had no clear solution—staffing challenges, facility upgrades, bureaucracy, etc. While important, these issues nonetheless came across as peripheral in a time of crisis for the district.

Platform: Facebook, Instagram, Direct Mail, Email

Art: Gabe VandeWater & Maya Rait

Copy: Gabe VandeWater, Edwin Enciso & Michael Wellvang

Unity through Education

(Ghostwritten for the candidate-elect, January 2021, published in Southside Pride)

From the insurrection at the Capitol in Washington D.C., to the barbed wire lining the streets of Downtown Minneapolis, 2021 has been a grim reminder of the divisions in our communities. Unless we make a strong effort to bridge our differences, there will be more unrest for years to come. A path forward is in the education of our children.

Ethnic Studies, a range of courses which have been offered in Minneapolis Public High Schools for the last six years, is an example of one such effort for which we have Kim Ellison, Chair of the Board of Education, to thank. It is part of an initiative called for by voters to update the curriculum and give students the opportunity to learn about the contributions of the many peoples within the United States. Students right now are studying the history of racism along with the richness of Black, Latino, Native American, Somali, Vietnamese and Hmong cultures that are present here in Minnesota.

But it is not enough. I ran for the School Board because this city has become an increasingly diverse place, and schools need help in adjusting. As a mother, activist, and now public servant, my priority is always the children. Broadly speaking, I want to do for District Four (Bryn Mawr, Downtown, Uptown, Kenwood and Whittier) what I did for the Parent Teacher Association at Emerson School in Loring Park: include families of color in the education of their children.

Language and cultural barriers between schools and families must be overcome if we are ever to close the achievement gap between white and brown students. We have many talented, hard-working teachers in this city—but even in the best of times they only see students for less than seven hours of a day. Parents are the best resource a child has, and I will work to make sure schools are doing everything they can to support us.