Biography: Alfred Babington-Johnson has been politically active and a catalyst for community development since arriving in the Twin Cities. Babington earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Howard University in 1968 and a Master of Divinity in Theology from Bethel Theological Seminary in 1984. He is the Founder, President & CEO of The Stairstep Initiative. The Stairstep mission is to understand the components, processes, and dynamics required to reignite community spirit among African Americans. The Initiative provokes, convenes, and develops replicable models to unite African Americans of all income and resource levels to articulate community values. Babington has been involved with an extensive list of public commissions, committees, and boards and has received numerous honors and awards.  Babington was honored by Bethel Seminary as Alumnus of the Year in 2000 and received its first Presidential Distinguished Medal of Honor. In 2004, General Mills and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Breakfast Committee recognized him as a Local Legend. In 1995, he convened His Works United, which has become Minnesota's most extensive ecumenical collaboration of African American churches. Recently, Stairstep/HWU created a community venture fund that has invested over $1,300,000 in African American entrepreneurs. Most recently, Rev. Babington-Johnson launched the Transforming Love Church.  He and his wife, Anna, have three children and six grandchildren.