Mandell receives Facing Race award
Long-time youth studies community faculty member and high school teacher Jan Mandell is the recipient of the inaugural Facing Race Ambassador Award given by The Saint Paul Foundation. Jan and 12 nominees were honored at a March 8 ceremony at the Science Museum of Minnesota. A nonprofit organization or public entity of her choice will receive a cash award of $10,000 to further work in creating an anti-racist East Metro community.
Jan is the founder of Saint Paul Central High School’s Central Touring Theater (CTT) and has led the way for nearly 30 years in creating a safe space which attracts a multi-racial, multi-economic, and multi-intellectual group of students who come together to be themselves, tell stories, break down barriers, and produce theater that promotes discussion and truth.
Since 2002, the Facing Race initiative of The Saint Paul Foundation has generated discussions among people of all backgrounds to provide a greater understanding of race issues and what the community, as a whole, can do to make it a more open and equitable society. The Facing Race Ambassador Award was created to honor individuals who excel in creating opportunities for people of all races to understand the impact of racism. “Theater is the perfect tool to fight racism because it requires trust building. Working with kids in a creative environment has kept me hopeful and kept me conscious of today’s issues,� said Jan in receiving the award.
The naming of an ambassador is the next phase of this growing initiative. “Our recipient and our nominees are doing powerful work dismantling racism in our community,� said Carleen Rhodes, president of The Saint Paul Foundation. “This is an example of how it takes all of us working together, to share the message and confront racism where it lurks.�
Facing Race: We’re all in this together™ is a multi-year antiracism initiative of The Saint Paul Foundation that focuses on addressing racism at individual and institutional levels. The vision of Facing Race is to create a more equitable, just, and open region where everyone feels safe, valued, and respected. Facing Race meets people and institutions where they are, giving them the tools they need to discuss issues of race and racism and moving them to take action to eliminate racism and discrimination. For more information, visit www.facingrace.org.