Archives: Healing a Community One Stride at a Time

In remembrance of the 5th anniversary of George Floyd's murder, we're reposting this May 2022 Connection newsletter feature about the George Floyd Global Memorial charity fundraising team that prepared to run the marathon in 2022. The organization is now known as Rise & Remember. Among the dozens of charity teams preparing for 2022 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon is one enduring a sad anniversary this week. Like many in the Twin Cities, the George Floyd Global Memorial (GFGM) team will mark tomorrow’s two-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder by a Minneapolis police officer.

The organization will lead four days of remembrance at its Rise & Remember: We Will Heal Us events this week.

GFGM’s nonprofit mission is to conserve stories of resistance to racial injustice and to curate spaces for all people to grieve, pay respect and be a voice for justice. Its vision is to bring community development in Minneapolis and inspire people to pursue racial justice around the world.

While GFGM is new to the marathon’s lineup of charity teams, its executive director Jeanelle Austin (pictured above) knows marathons personally. She counts a 2016 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon finish among her 26.2 mile achievements.

“After my first marathon, I felt a deep sense of accomplishment,” she remembered. “I felt like I did something I never imagined I would do. It opened up an entire world of possibilities for me to consider what else I could accomplish.”

She also sees the marathon’s unique opportunities not just to enhance the profile of her nonprofit and raise funds, but also to activate community members in a healthy way.

“There is something about running/exercise that helps with holistic wellness,” she observed. “As many of us are dealing with our own personal or neighborhood trauma and pain, running can be a great way of releasing that trauma.”

We are running for more than a medal at the end, we are running to get to the other side of justice.

“Additionally, organizing a run team and a cheer squad brings us together in community. We get to see each other at our best and at our worst. We are building more than a team, we are building community. We are running for more than a medal at the end, we are running to get to the other side of justice.”

Jeanelle sees the GFGM marathon team as a hub for a full circle of positive activations for the community. The marathoners will run and raise money. They’ll be supported by a cheer squad that will directly involve non-runners and elders. And, community youth will be inspired by the effort and participate in other marathon weekend races.

“I had run the LA Marathon with World Vision, so I knew charity teams were a thing,” she said. “So, I looked into it, asked my community if they would have interest, and then I began the process of enrolling GFGM!”

This article originally appeared in The Connection in May 2022 , TCM's weekly e-newsletter. Subscribe here. Find information on this weekend's Rise & Remember Festival -- May 23-25, 2025 -- here.