Photo from Election Day, Green Central Gym, Ward 9, Minneapolis election day, Aurora joined the group of 250 community members that volunteered with Nonviolent Peaceforce to deescalate issues so people could vote without threat of violence. On November 3, U.S. election day, Aurora joined the group of 250 community members that volunteered with Nonviolent Peaceforce to deescalate issues so people could vote without threat of violence. Now, she wanted to strengthen her skills to prevent violence. She had been working for months attending to the effects of violence, connecting the medical volunteer sites to each other throughout the Twin Cities. ”įrom attending to the effects of violence to preventing violenceįrom her work as an organizer last summer, Aurora found out about NP. S o I started overseeing the communication and a medical site. “I became an organizer b e c ause we need ed to connect with each other throughout the cities. While she went out taking directions, she ended up giving directions Aurora saw how important it was to build networks of people trained and communicating with one another. “I wish all those who have been unjustly murdered were here to see what they helped inspire.”Īurora noticed the street medics were pretty organized, so she sprang into action assisting with moving supplies and getting people to safety, identifying ways to get their needs met and care for each othe r. It felt like grief and tragedy and anger coming together in service of the community. But she also saw incredible demonstrations of love and care. She saw some gruesome things that night, mostly as a result of mace, rubber bullets and tear gas. Teargas Cannisters in Minneapolis Last Summer, Photo: Aurora Adams Aurora was feeling it getting louder and hotter, more and more intense. So, Aurora headed out to a demonstration with some medical supplies, her limited medical training from her time in the National Guard, and ready to work with community activists. She heard from a friend that there were rumors of white supremacists and extremists in the Twin Cities. In the days following George Floyd’s murder, the demonstrations were turning more and more heated. That now there is the possibility of doing something about these deep-rooted issues.” “Violence ha d been affecting my neighbors, but, after the murder of George Floyd last May, it seem ed like, finally, something wa s happening in my backyard. She had already been involved with various direct-action groups when the protests following George Floyd’s murder broke out.
“I was honorably discharged when I was 24, but the need to help others never left me.”Īurora’s value of helping and hospitality has since translated to a deep respect for mutual aid and direct action for her community in the Twin Cities, MN. But shortly after enlisting, she began to recognize her participation in colonialism and imperialism, that maybe her idealism had been naïve.Īurora also began transitioning while serving in the National Guard, even though there was a blanket ban on trans individuals serving in the U.S.
She grew up playing video games and reading comics, and imagined her experience would be like the scenes of heroism and service she had seen as a child. Sh e started questioning the efficacy of the militarized mindset early in h er service. “ I saw my peers dealing with internal conflicts: intimate partner violence, sexual assault, and suicide,” Aurora shared. When Aurora Adams was 17, she enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard, believing it to be the best way she could help people.Īlthough she was never deployed, she still saw plenty of conflict as a counselor and chaplain with the Guard. Photo Credit: Karen KracoĪ deep respect for mutual aid and direct action and now, an NP volunteer equipped to keep her neighbors safe.Īurora Adams as part of NP Community Safety Teams.
Veteran, queer-minded activist, community organizer, student.
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