T.O.N.E. U.P. Monthly
Teaching Ourselves New Examples to Uplift People
Who We Are
T.O.N.E. U.P. stands for Teaching Ourselves New Examples to Uplift People. We are a justice-impacted-led organization rooted in the belief that the people closest to the problem are also closest to the solution.
Our work lives at the intersection of reentry, healing, advocacy, and power-building. We support people coming home from incarceration with real resources, real relationships, and real pathways forward—while also organizing to transform the systems that criminalize, cage, and abandon our communities.
From reentry navigation and leadership development to civic engagement, Clean Slate implementation, and policy advocacy, T.O.N.E. U.P. is building an ecosystem of support grounded in one core truth: you are not alone, and your life matters.
T.O.N.E. U.P. Tuesdays: Community, Strategy, and Care
We’re excited to continue T.O.N.E. U.P. Tuesdays, our monthly community space for justice-impacted people to gather, connect, and build together.
Our next T.O.N.E. U.P. Tuesday is March 10th
T.O.N.E. U.P. Tuesdays are more than a meeting. They are a space to:
Be in community with other justice-impacted people
Share resources and real-time information
Talk honestly about what’s happening in our neighborhoods
Build collective strategies for safety, support, and survival
In recent gatherings, people have named fear, exhaustion, and urgency—but also clarity and commitment. Folks know this moment requires real conversations about strategy and how we protect one another. Everyone who enters this space is helping shape what comes next.
After the Raids: Vigilance, Need, and Mutual Care
While federal officials have publicly stated that ICE and DHS enforcement actions in Minnesota have “ended,” we are still very much feeling the aftereffects.
Justice-impacted people are continuing to reach out to us in large numbers—seeking stability, safety, and support. Over the past several weeks, we’ve seen a significant influx of people needing:
Housing (the most urgent and consistent need)
Food and clothing
Employment and income stability
This moment has shaken trust and deepened fear, especially for Black and Brown communities who watched families torn apart and systems fail to intervene. At T.O.N.E. U.P., we remain vigilant and grounded in community response—because safety does not come from systems that harm us. Safety comes from each other.
Big News: A New Facility Is Coming
We are excited to share that T.O.N.E. U.P., in partnership and collaboration with Beyond the Bark, has officially secured a new facility.
This space will allow us to deepen our reentry support, expand programming, and create a stronger physical home for justice-impacted people coming home and rebuilding their lives. We are incredibly excited about what this facility makes possible.
We’ll be sharing more soon, including details about the launch, ribbon-cutting event, and community celebration. Stay tuned—we can’t wait to open these doors together.
Showing Up Inside: Ramsey County Correctional Facility
For the past three to four months, T.O.N.E. U.P. has been consistently showing up inside Ramsey County Correctional Facility (RCCF).
Right now, this work has been led directly by our Founder, Antonio Williams, going inside month after month—and it has been powerful.
These spaces have been deeply grounding and life-giving. The brothers and sisters inside RCCF have poured just as much into us as we have into them—offering insight, hope, wisdom, and inspiration. It has filled our cup and reaffirmed why reentry work must begin inside, not after release.
We are committed to continuing and expanding this presence, because preparation, trust, and connection start long before someone comes home.
What’s Ahead
As we move through March and into the spring, our work continues across multiple fronts:
End Slavery Campaign
Clean Slate education, outreach, and implementation
Reentry navigation and inside-the-walls engagement
Community-based organizing and mutual aid
The need is real—and so is the momentum.
Funder & Partner Appreciation
None of this work happens alone. We want to take a moment to express deep gratitude to the funders, partners, and movement allies who continue to believe in justice-impacted leadership and community-led solutions.
A special thank you to Headwaters Foundation for Justice, our longest-standing funder, for walking with us year after year and trusting our vision, our leadership, and our people.
We are also deeply grateful to:
Voter Justice Project (VJP)
Office of Neighborhood Safety, City of St. Paul, for supporting our work through a service agreement
Florida Rights Restoration Coalition (FRRC)
Clean Slate Initiative (CSI)
Movement for Black Lives (M4BL)
MN Black Collective
Pohlad Family Foundation
Your support makes it possible for justice-impacted people not only to survive—but to lead, organize, and build power.
With Gratitude
To our community: thank you for continuing to show up, spread the word, share resources, and believe in this work. Your trust and love fuel everything we do.
Together, we are Teaching Ourselves New Examples, to Uplift our People, and building something that lasts.
With gratitude and solidarity, The T.O.N.E. U.P. Team
🌐www.toneup.org📍 23 SE 4th St., Suite 202, Minneapolis, MN 55414