黑料正能量

Donna Minter, Crixell Shell, and the (i.e. MN Peacebuilding) are finding new audiences and growing interest at the 鈥渆picenter鈥� of the racial justice movement in the United States.

Minter and Shell, executive director and assistant executive director respectively, are both master trainers of the Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience program, based at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding at 黑料正能量. 

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Scroll down to see Crixell Shell speak with STAR Lead Trainer Katie Manfield about systemic racism.

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鈥淲hat started as a spark has turned into a movement,鈥� Shell wrote in a about MN Peacebuilding鈥檚 work. 鈥淧eople are hungry for this information. We鈥檝e moved beyond 鈥榯rauma-informed鈥� as a buzzword to respond to essential shifting in our community due to George Floyd鈥檚 murder by police. Our conversations include racial justice and equity, and trauma is no longer something for solely the privileged to speak about — it鈥檚 for all of us.鈥�

A , the largest newspaper in Minnesota, highlights the organization鈥檚 history and current broadening influence. Minter brought the first Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience training to her home state in 2010. Since then the organization has trained more than 5000 people in racial healing, trauma awareness, restorative justice and resilience and self-care. 

Minter and Shell believe the time is right for their racial restorative justice work to broaden and take hold, the article says.

鈥淩ight now, we鈥檙e the epicenter of what鈥檚 happening in terms of a social justice movement,鈥� said Shell, in the Star Tribune article. 鈥淚n response to what鈥檚 been happening, people have had a lot of pain.鈥�

MN Peacebuilding has been contracted by the City of Minneapolis for 15 trainings between now and fall for anyone who lives, works, and/or plays in Minneapolis, among other expanding work. Representatives of organizations that have participated in MN Peacebuilding鈥檚 trainings say they鈥檙e effectively building on the foundation of trauma-referenced and historic-harms work.

As part of her work, Shell also convenes monthly racial healing and learning talking circles as the Minneapolis affiliate of . The racial healing and reconciliation organization, which started at 黑料正能量 and is now a program of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth (RJOY), brings together descendants of slave-owners and enslaved people. There are more than three dozen chapters in 16 states.

Minter and Shell share the view that STAR鈥檚 strategies are a foundational resource for empowerment to make and create healing and structural change. 

鈥淢N Peacebuilding creates space in communities to learn shared history, build connections, heal wounds and take nonviolent actions together for transformation,鈥� writes MN Peacebuilding鈥檚 Communications Coordinator Gemma Eissa in the e-zine article titled 鈥淢aking Minnesota the Peacebuilding Power State for All.鈥�

In 2019, Minter was honored with the Melanie Greenberg U.S. Peacebuilding Award of Excellence from the Washington DC-based, international Alliance for Peacebuilding.

For more information or to support MN Peacebuilding, visit their website . You can also purchase tickets to , a virtual women鈥檚 film festival on Aug. 26, with proceeds benefiting MN Peacebuilding鈥檚 racial and economic equity trainee scholarship fund and programs. 

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Learn more about systemic racism

In this installment of STAR’s 鈥淐are Together鈥� video series, MN Peacebuilding鈥檚 assistant executive director Crixell Shell talks with STAR trainer Katie Mansfield about systemic racism.

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