Philando Castile's mom honored for anti-racism work by St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation

Valerie Castile is among four Minnesotans honored by the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation for working to eliminate racism in the state.

The foundation announced this week the recipients of its 14th-annual Facing Race Awards, including Castile, the mother of 32-year-old Philando Castile, who was killed in 2016 by a St. Anthony police officer. She's now the CEO of the Philando Castile Relief Foundation, which helps victims of gun and police violence and pays lunch debt for students in the Robbinsdale and Minneapolis schools.

"It's bittersweet to say the least," she said about the award. "I never thought we'd be recognized to this extent. The work we do is centered around the work Philando held near and dear to his heart and we just wanted to keep that going."

The winners are also: Resmaa Menakem, a clinical social worker who has led cultural awareness training sessions with the Minneapolis Police Department; Alex Miles, a graduate of Twin Cities Academy in St. Paul and founder of the Racial Justice Club; and Leslie Redmond, president of the NAACP Minneapolis.

The four will receive a grant for a nonprofit and be recognized in a program featuring Washington Post opinion columnist Jonathan Capehart, a Carleton College graduate, at 7 p.m. Oct. 25 on Twin Cities Public Television followed by a Zoom discussion. Go to spmcf.org for more details.

KELLY SMITH