Come to Our Stoop

In Black neighborhoods, financial organizing has long been a practice deeply rooted in the fabric of the community. The stoop, symbolic of gathering spaces where neighbors come together, exemplifies the spirit of mutual support and care. Whether it's assisting a neighbor with groceries or finding solace and strength in the community church, Black communities have built networks of support and foundations of economic resilience.

The name "Macon Street" is the street in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY, where Mini Verna's family lived. In the photo below she is seated on their very stoop. It serves as a reminder of the resilience, strength, and spirit of community that has been passed down through generations. Macon Street Ventures stands as a continuation of this legacy and is honored to be building upon the resilience and ingenuity of previous generations.

About Mini

Mini comes from a long line of Black public school teachers, business owners, and community leaders. San Francisco born and raised, for over a decade she has worked throughout the Bay Area with schools and non-profit organizations to strategize, develop, and implement winning campaigns. 

From 2018-2022, Mini led her own development consulting firm, JamBear Consulting. Clients included: Khan Academy, NewSchools Venture Fund, Rubicon Programs, Raise for Good, Park Day School, Millennium School, Forum for Educators, the Peninsula School, Alder Graduate School of Education, Habitot Children’s Museum and Ascend Public Charter Schools - Brooklyn. Prior to that, she worked in-house for KIPP Northern California Public Schools on their $150M capital campaign to open more public schools, and for the Nueva School on their $50M capital campaign to build a high school campus. Before fundraising, Mini worked in politics for Speaker Emeritus Nancy Pelosi.

Mini received her B.A. in Political Science from Barnard College in New York City in 2011, and a Pastry and Baking degree from the San Francisco Cooking School in 2017. To build and hone her facilitation and mindfulness practices, Mini completed the 10th cohort of the East Bay Meditation Center’s Practice in Transformative Action social justice mindfulness training program in 2023. From 2019-2020, she facilitated social-emotional competency building circles for educators in the San Francisco Unified School District.

Based in Oakland, CA, in her spare time she can be found making art, enjoying nature, spending time with her dog, and sharing food with friends. Mini is a member of the Donor’s of Color Network, and serves on the Board of Directors of the East Bay Meditation Center and City of Dreams San Francisco.