ST. CLOUD -- There is a new center here in St. Cloud that is designed to help people of color help themselves.

The local nonprofit Higher Works Collaborative is opening the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Learning Center.

Spokeswoman Natoyia Alberts says the center will provide a space for members of the community to empower themselves through various workshops.

The homeownership rate here is much lower for African Americans versus our white neighbors, so we have a homeless-to-homeownership workshop.  We have basic computer skills for adults who never really finished school and are struggling in that area.

Alberts says they will also be offering effective black parenting courses.

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They will be holding an open house at the learning center next Friday, September 23rd in their new space. They are located in the Midtown Square Mall in St. Cloud.

The Higher Works Collaborative focuses on improving the lives and lifestyles of members of the black community.

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