MPR News with Angela Davis

Urban League Twin Cities leader Marquita Stephens on engagement, equity and leadership

A person poses for a portrait
Marquita Stephens, poses for a portrait at Urban League Twin Cities in Minneapolis on Sept. 28.
Kerem Yücel | MPR News

Marquita Stephens spent her career working to uplift people and communities of color.  

In her past, she’s facilitated conversations around multicultural issues at Roseville Area Schools. She also led the African American Adoption Agency as its CEO.  

In 2017, Stephens joined the Urban League Twin Cities — a branch of the National Urban League, a historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization — and led the institution’s education division.

Over the summer, Stephens was named president and CEO of the Urban League Twin Cities, becoming the first woman to lead the organization in its 98-year history.  

MPR News host Angela Davis talks to Stephens about her life, her passion for community engagement and how the Urban League Twin Cities has worked to uplift and educate African Americans and build generational wealth. 

host and guest pose for a picture
MPR News host Angela Davis (left) talks with Marquita Stephens in an MPR News studio in the Kling Public Media Center in St. Paul on Tuesday.
Matt Alvarez | MPR News

Guest:  

  • Marquita Stephens is the president and CEO of the Urban League Twin Cities, a historic civil rights and urban advocacy organization with a 98-year history in Minnesota. Stephens is the first woman to lead the organization.  

Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.  

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.    

This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.