Please click here for WSCO's COVID-19 Resource page
The West Side Community Organization organizes people of West Side to build collective power to advance justice and racial equity in the community for all people.
WSCO is a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit.
WSCO also acts as the planning council for Saint Paul District 3 (55107)
Last week, more than 100 West Side neighbors attended our first-ever virtual annual meeting! Together, we celebrated 2020 accomplishments, envisioned a just and joyful West Side, and looked ahead to what we’ll accomplish in 2021 and beyond. We're so excited and grateful that we've got each other. Watch the annual meeting on YouTube.
Also, check out this one-pager summarizing what we accomplished together this year and what we're looking forward to in the years to come!
Honoring outstanding West Siders
This year, we received so many nominations for West Sider of the Year, that we decided to celebrate outstanding West Siders with not one award – but three! Learn more about these outstanding West Siders and watch videos of them receiving their awards! Here are the folks we're honoring this year!
Meet our newly elected (or re-elected) board members!
At the meeting, West Siders voted for the WSCO board members who will start terms in 2021. The results are in! You and your neighbors
Read more about the newly-elected board members on WSCO’s blog!
Meet the members of WSCO’s Equitable Development Scorecard Team!
This spring, we were going to host a party to celebrate the members of our Equitable Development Scorecard Team – but we missed our opportunity as we readjusted to life in a pandemic. Thankfully, we got to introduce this team to West Siders during our annual meeting!
The Equitable Development Scorecard is a tool developed by West Siders, for West Siders to decide whether we, the community, support development projects and other investments proposed for our neighborhood. While all West Siders can use the Scorecard, the Equitable Development Scorecard Team leads efforts to open conversation with developers, score proposed projects and engage with their neighbors for feedback and discussion. Read more about the members of our current Scorecard team!
Gratitude
A huge thank-you to Captain Ken’s Food for their chili donation! It’s been a decades-long tradition to eat chili at WSCO annual meetings, and we’re grateful that Captain Ken made sure a pandemic didn’t get in the way of that! We’re also incredibly grateful to vocalist Jamela Pettiford for sharing a powerful land acknowledgement to set the tone for our meeting.
We can't wait to get to know you better!
For those of you who are new to WSCO, welcome! For those of you who are not, welcome back! We’re looking forward to getting to know everyone a little better in 2021. We’ll keep you informed of opportunities to get involved via our newsletter (sign up here) and on social media (follow us on Facebook and Twitter). Don’t hesitate to contact us at info@wsco.org with questions or feedback. We want to hear from you!
Here are three ways you can get involved right now!
Each year, WSCO honors a West Side resident for their outstanding contributions to the community. This year, WSCO received so many nominations that we decided to honor three West Siders who have shown deep dedication to the values of the West Side.
Recipients have:
2020 Spark of the West Side
Payton Ortiz and his grandfather, Dan Wolff, and mother, Anna Wolff
Payton, his grandfather, and his mother sparked joy during a difficult time in the community by planting over 1,400 spinning pinwheels throughout their neighborhood. This random act of joy and love gave hope to neighbors struggling through isolation, stress, and sadness during the pandemic.
2020 Heart of the West Side
Jesus Ramirez
Jesus shares his love for the cultures, languages, and history of the West Side through art – from murals and electrical boxes to the tattoo shop. He is there for West Side neighbors when they need a helping hand, fixing cars, offering rides, and running errands. This year, he spent countless hours creating a larger-than-life art installation (a calavera) and a community altar to ensure annual community celebrations were special despite COVID-19.
2020 West Sider of the Year
Maria McNamara
In over two decades on the West Side, Maria has spent countless in service to the West Side. She played a key role in several organizations that brought fun, joy, and love to West Side youth. She’s a steadfast advocate for racial justice and helped start the Overcoming Racism conference from the basement of her church, Cherokee Park United. West Siders can count on her anytime to march in solidarity for justice, show up at City Hall and make some noise, or silently hold up a sign.
