Hannah Heinzekehr | January 30, 2020
When searching for an internship placement for her second year of studies at the University of Notre Dame, Helina Haile knew that she wanted to work alongside an organization focused on systemic racism in the United States. Her search led her to the Chicago Torture Justice Center (CTJC), a first-of-its-kind organization dedicated to supporting survivors of police violence.
“After my first year at Notre Dame, I really wanted to change the perception that the West, and especially the U.S., is the giver of peace and other countries are recipients,” said Haile, who is completing her second year as a Master of Global Affairs (MGA) International Peace Studies student at the Keough School of Global Affairs.
During their second year of MGA coursework, most international peace studies students work for six months with an organization working on peace and justice issues. While Haile was searching for the right organization to intern with, David Anderson Hooker, associate professor of the practice of conflict transformation and peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and vice chair of CTJC’s board, reached out and asked if Haile might have an interest in interning at CTJC to engage the development and evolution of its “politicized healing model.”
“To look at peace, justice, trauma and community in our own backyard—less than 100 miles away from Notre Dame—was a really excellent opportunity,” said Hooker. “And because CTJC is engaging an emerging set of ideas, it wasn’t just that the center would be good for Helina, but she would be good for the center, too. She could join in the conversation about how to articulate politicized healing.”
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Originally published by at dailydomer.nd.edu on January 30, 2020.