Minneapolis

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

By Kelly Smith

October 8, 2020 at 3:09PM
Valerie Castile the mother of Philando Castile stood for a photo in front of a mural of her son during a rally for Philando Castile outside St. Anthony Village City Hall. ] LEILA NAVIDI • leila.navidi@startribune.com BACKGROUND INFORMATION: A rally outside St. Anthony Village City Hall on the fourth anniversary of the death of Philando Castile on Monday, July 6, 2020.
Valerie Castile, the mother of Philando Castile, stood for a photo in front of a mural of her son during a rally for Philando Castile outside St. Anthony City Hall. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

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


Resmaa Menakem, a therapist and social worker, who's conducted trauma -healing workshops following violent episodes. For the past year, he's also worked with the MPD to address the cumulative trauma that officers are exposed to on the job and in their lives.] BRIAN PETERSON • brian.peterson@startribune.com Edina, MN 08/13/2018
Menakem (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Alex Miles, a recent graduate of Twin Cities Academy in St. Paul, is one of four winners of the St. Paul and Minnesota Foundation's Facing Race Award.
Miles (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Leslie Redmond, the president of the NAACP Minneapolis, is one of four winners of the St. Paul & Minnesota Foundation's annual Facing Race Awards.
Redmond , (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
Valerie Castile the mother of Philando Castile who was killed by police 4 years today spoke at the news conference .] Jerry Holt •Jerry.Holt@startribune.com Valerie Castile the mother of Philando Castile who was killed by police 4years and John Harrington from DPS announced new language being added to Minnesota . Driver's Manual to tell drivers who have a firearm what to do when stopped by law enforcement Monday July 6th , 2020 in St. Paul ,MN.
Castile (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
about the writer

about the writer

Kelly Smith

News team leader

Kelly Smith is a news editor, supervising a team of reporters covering Minnesota social services, transportation issues and higher education. She previously worked as a news reporter for 16 years.

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