IMAN board member Rafi recognized
In early April Rafi Peterson, IMAN board member and committed violence prevention worker, was recognized along with his former Ceasefire team (including Kenneth Baldwin and Miguel Arcos) by LISC's New Communities Program as Community Heroes for their work in reducing violence in Chicago Lawn. Brother Rafi has been a significant part of an approach to violence prevention that believes in the transformation of even the incorrigible through direct intervention, relationship-building, and strategic street-level outreach.
Br. Rafi called the LISC Community Heroes award a team effort. Neighborhood stalwarts the Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP) and Greater Southwest Development Corporation "have been willing to hear and adapt new methods of operation to reach young people." He also referred to IMAN as a "soul mate" and "daily inspiration" in doing the work he ultimately sees as his life's mission. "A debt of brotherhood is owed to brothers coming home from prison who need aid and support in their efforts to re-enter society as productive citizens."
Though state funding for Ceasefire was eliminated, support from SWOP has been critical in keeping the work of Peterson and his team alive and well in the Chicago Lawn community. Special support has also been received from the Central Zakat Committee, a key funder working in the greater Chicago area to institutionalize Muslim principles of charity. Their aid has been the pivotal support for the Project Restore Outreach Center, which is IMAN's transitional housing for ex-offenders. The focal point of this center, headed by Peterson, is to facilitate re-entry into society of the formerly incarcerated and cultivate their leadership in doing community work. |
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