WILD Conversations: Addressing Systemic Racism in Community Safety with Justin Terrell and Katie Remington from the Minnesota Justice Research Center

In May, following the tragic killing of George Floyd, TCDIP’s Emerging Leaders Group launched WILD, the Wanton Injustice Legal Detail. Focused on six areas of systemic racial inequality, WILD's mission is to harness the collective power of TCDIP’s membership to remedy systemic anti-Black racism in the Twin Cities by partnering with and amplifying the work of existing community organizations. Through our WILD Conversations series, TCDIP will provide opportunities for you to learn more about WILD’s six focus areas. 

This first WILD Conversation series will focus on how to address systemic racism in community safety and policing. We will host diverse voices on the issue to allow our community to learn more about the issues and proposed solutions. Currently, the series will feature voices from the Minnesota ACLU, Communities United Against Police Brutality, and government officials who have held positions enforcing anti-discrimination laws and policies and providing oversight of police departments. Additional speakers and dates will be added on an ongoing basis.

Interested in more events like this? Visit our full calendar and search for “WILD Conversations” to find more events in this series! Our WILD Conversation series is open to the public.

April 16, 12:00 - 1:00 PM
Justin Terrell, Executive Director, MNJRC

Justin Terrell is a community leader with a track record of executing successful issue campaigns. With an expertise in Criminal Justice and Democracy reform, Terrell has led campaigns to expand fair hiring and remove barriers to voting. Terrell is an accomplished trainer and has led political education locally, nationally and in Central Europe. He has mobilized thousands across the state of Minnesota and has worked to develop community members as advocates, organizers and leaders.

In his new role as the Executive Director of the Minnesota Justice Research Center, Terrell brings his leadership and expertise to an organization whose mission is to transform Minnesota's justice system. Through research, education and policy development, the MJRC is positioned to build a statewide effort to build a justice system that is more humane and reflects our commonly shared values.

Dr. Katie Remington, Research Director, MNJRC

Dr. Katie Remington Cunningham (she/her) is a community-based researcher whose work has spanned the areas of the criminal legal system, youth development, and education. As the Research Director for the Minnesota Justice Research Center, Katie leads the organization’s efforts to engage in participatory and collaborative community-led research, projects and evaluations with partner organizations, and policy-focused research.  As a researcher, Katie asserts an energetic investment in community, a focus on rigorous scholarship, and an unyielding commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice with a particular focus on creating spaces for young people to thrive. She approaches research in a people-first way and holds herself accountable for its potential impact. Katie is a former high school teacher and holds a Ph.D. in Education with a focus on developmental psychology from Stanford University and a Master’s in Secondary Education from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.