10/31/2023
Henry L. Banks is a community leader, community organizer and, a racial and social justice activist residing in the Twin Ports of Duluth/Superior. He has been a community activist for more than thirty years. He is the former Senior Producer and host of WPR’s People of Color with Henry Banks, a talk show on Wisconsin Public Radio. He is a graduate of the University of Minnesota ([Political Science and Psychology]. Recently, he served as Co-Executive Producer, Co-Writer, Co-Editor and Narrator of a national documentary titled: The Alabama 35. The documentary was nominated for a national award.
Henry L. Banks was born and raised in St. Joseph, Missouri, a northern suburb of Kansas City, Missouri. He is the son of the late Rev. Finest L. Banks, Sr. and the late Anna L. Banks. He is an alumni of St. Joseph Central High School (recognized recently as a top 100 public high school in the United States) and the University of Minnesota majoring in Political Science/Psychology. He is an alumni of the prestigious Blandin Foundation Community Leadership Program, the Academy for Advancing Community based in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and the Move the Mountain Leadership Center in Phoenix, Arizona. He served the Duluth Superior region as founder and first co-chair of the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial board and project. The CJM Memorial was recognized by National Geographic as one of the top memorials in the United States. He served the city of Duluth for eight years as a Planning Commissioner. He is a nationally certified anti-racism educator, trainer and organizer through Crossroads Chicago and The People's Institute For Survival and Beyond in New Orleans, Louisiana. Several years ago, he was selected with twenty four community leaders (by the Knight Foundation based in Miami, Florida) as a Community Catalyst representing the Duluth area. He is a grant writer receiving his training through the national Grantsmanship Center in Los Angeles, California. Henry was one of the major leaders behind the planning, development and building of the University of Minnesota Duluth Multicultural Center and Programs.
Over past years, he served as a cultural consultant to the Heritage Publishing Group (In Black Ink) - St. Paul and the Council for Minnesotans of African Heritage. The latter is a state agency also based in St. Paul.
He has been a member of the National and local NAACP, Twin Ports Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Arts and Culture Planning Committee. Currently, he served as a member of the S.A.L.T. Leadership team of the Family Freedom Center in Duluth. He is a volunteer instructor/facilitator in the UMD University for Seniors Program. He is also a part of the Alabama 35 group that represented this area for the opening of the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. He formerly served on these committees or boards: Superior, Wisconsin Juneteenth Committee, Duluth YMCA Community Services Advisory Council and is a regular volunteer at St. Michael's Used a Bit Store. And, he serves as an At Large Director and member of Executive Committee for the Duluth Transit Authority.
He is a past recipient of the local Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Drum Major for Peace Award, the Clayton Jackson McGhie Leadership Award, Men As Peacemakers Community Peacemaker Award, The Clayton Jackson McGhie Founders Award and he received special commendation from Twin Cities Public Television for community leadership, service and activism.
Henry L. Banks has been featured in the following national documentaries or publications:
• Public Memory: A Film About American Memorials - Executive Producer Amy Ge**er
•Minnesota Northstar, a documentary - Executive Producer
Daniel Bergin - Twin Cities Public Television - TCPT
• The Alabama 35 - Co-Executive Producers: Henry Banks and Robin Washington
•Always in Season - Executive Producer Jackie Olive of Tell It
Media
• Teaching Tolerance Magazine - Southern Poverty Law Center, Montgomery, Alabama
•Newspapers: NY Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune,
etc.
• The News Hour with Jim Lehrer - Public Broadcasting Service
