​LHENA Talks Speaker Series

LHENA Talks is a monthly speaker series that takes place on the 4th Wednesday of every month from 7 to 8 p.m. Each talk features a guest speaker and focuses on community issues of interest and is sponsored by a local business. LHENA Talks strives to bring together residents, businesses, and community members alike to foster a space for fruitful discussions while highlighting the amazing work being done in our communities. Interested in being a speaker or sponsor? Take a moment to fill out this form. ​​

LHENA Talks No. 5: Pushing for Peace with Lisa Clemons from A Mothers Love Initiative. 

This talk focused on public safety in Minneapolis and Lisa's work with A Mother's Love Initiative. How are they making a difference in the lives of our youth and community? How has working in partnership with other boots-on-the-ground organizations, nonprofits, for-profit organizations and law enforcement helped a Mother's Love build community and bring back that village mentality? What is the best way to address our community's public safety needs and challenges? How can our whole community of Minneapolis — business owners, employees, clients, customers, patrons and residents — work together to create more connected, inviting and prosperous streets for everyone?

Lisa answered these questions and explained her work leading A Mother's Love, the services they provide, and the impact she has seen from mentoring, de-escalation techniques, trauma care, procedural justice, first aid and narcan administration. She also took questions from the community. 

Speaker: Lisa Clemons

The speaker for this LHENA Talk is Lisa Clemons, the founder and director of A Mother's Love Initiative, a grassroots organization in Minneapolis that is working to reduce gun violence, domestic violence and build strong families with strong futures. With A Mother's Love, Lisa is working to bring back the village with African-American mothers and fathers. Her team uniquely reflects the communities they serve, including members who were in prison, who have buried children and siblings from violence with guns, who have children incarcerated for involvement with violence with guns, who are single parents and parents of children of the LGBTQIA+ community. It is the goal of A Mother's Love to use their own life transformations to help meet people where they are in life and work to build strong families with strong futures.

Sponsor

The local sponsor for the talk is Cub Foods, an American supermarket chain that operates 81 stores in Minnesota and Illinois. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of SuperValu Inc., based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Cub was founded in Stillwater, Minnesota, in 1968 and now has many local grocery stores in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas. They are committed to delivering quality goods and great value with a full selection of produce, meat, seafood, deli and bakery favorites, pet food, flowers and more. Each year, Cub supports Minnesota by partnering with organizations to help make a difference in our local communities and beyond.

More About This LHENA Talk

Other talking points in Lisa Clemon's  LHENA Talk included:  ​

• The power of love. What impact has Lisa seen on and in the communities of Minneapolis through A Mother's Love Initiative and their work?
  
• A Mother's Love motto is "Save the Mother, You Save the Child. Save the Father, You Save the Family. Save the Family, You Save the Community." What encouraging signs Lisa has seen with regard to strengthening families and saving the community?
  
• A Mother's Love recognizes that "family" can be comprised of many different family types. How does A Mother's Love respect all family dynamics and work to meet families where they are in their life cycles? 
  
• Helping the youth. A Mother's Love has a mentors program that works to strengthen families academically, socially, emotionally and financially. What are the biggest challenges of working with and mentoring youth today? What are some success stories? How can communities help build strong foundations now and for generations to come?
  
• Working with the community. How has A Mother's Love been received by the community and by the city? How could we get more of the community involved in pushing for peace?
  
• Community building. What has A Mother's Love learned by listening to the needs of the community? Why is it important to be responsive to the needs of the community as the community sees them, not as they are prescribed for them?
  
• Building trust and staying power. What lessons have Lisa and A Mother's Love learned from their on-the-ground community work?
  
• The role of family and public safety. How has the community changed its relationship to peace? What are the most immediate changes we need to make the community safer? How can the community work together to help the community alleviate some of its fears and turn fear into positive actions? How can peace and justice issues promote optimism and spur people to take action and create change?
  
• Finding practical solutions to the challenges communities face. Can A Mother's Love scale its community-focused approach and reach more people? What are some steps people could take in their daily lives and lifestyle to push for peace and start seeing positive changes in their lives?
  
• Why is it important for all of us who live and work in a community to unite and focus on investing in our communities and supporting local businesses as we grapple with social pressures and change? How can the community support local businesses and help them thrive?
  
• How can people get involved with A Mother's Love and give people a village for moral support?
  
• The future of communities and peace. What are the fundamental building blocks for systemic change and societal growth? How can people inside and outside communities advance real social change that benefits everyone in the community? What steps can we take now to spur community growth and development? Where do we go from here?