Community Empowerment Through
Black Men Healing Conference
Jaton White is the Director of Community Wellness with the Northside Achievement Zone (NAZ), focused on family and organizational wellness, which is her alignment with her life's purpose. She works hand-in-hand with partners, families and scholars to understand their needs related to conflict, social-emotional, safety, and other wellness concerns. Jaton began her work at NAZ in 2012 as a family achievement coach, working to increase parent engagement and boost scholar outcomes. Through active engagement with systems, families, and scholars, she adopted a belief that when a person or system seeks healing that it should be treated as an emergency — it requires deep, intimate, and personal work and an authentic supportive team. Armed as a trained facilitator in personal empowerment, EQ practitioner, Awareness Coach under the direction of Jodi Pharr, ACE trainer, and Emergent Embodied Coach under the tutelage of Resmaa Menakem, she is able to provide supportive, evidence-based tools to aid in the spaces that have a direct impact on Northside scholars and families.
Edrin C. Williams serves as the Lead Pastor of Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, MN. Edrin came to Sanctuary in 2011 to lead MOSAIC, a youth ministry comprised of students from all over the Twin Cities metro. Before joining the staff of The Sanctuary, Edrin served the Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church in Minneapolis, MN for six years.
Edrin is a graduate of the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC where he studied African American Studies and U.S. History. He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Preaching & Communication from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, MN.
Edrin is an advocate of the local church and is very passionate about equipping leaders of all ages. Edrin is also a gifted writer and highly sought-after speaker. He uses biblical teaching, humor, storytelling, and his background in the humanities and the social sciences and theology to shape society and influence others in the ways of Jesus. Edrin writes and speaks often about developing men, especially fathers. His published writing projects include Father Factor: American Christian Men on Fatherhood and Faith, a project with White Cloud Press, and Reclaiming Fatherhood, which appeared in YouthWorker Journal.
Edrin describes himself as a native South Carolinian who loves people, nature, music, cities, history, travel, Bar-B-Que, and SEC football. Edrin has been married to the woman of his dreams, Shanequa, for 17 years. They are parents to two beautiful daughters, Taylor (13) & Harper (7).
Joseph Cole, aka Brother RA, is a member of the Youth Leadership team at the Black Youth Healing Arts Center(BYHAC), helping co-lead inhouse programs, facilitating workshops, teaching mind-body medicine practices, and also out in community part of the Pop Up team sharing breathing tools, poetry, and playing Bomba; an Afro Puerto Rican drum style alongside other BYHAC members. RA is a youth advocate and Pan-Afrikan Community Activist dedicated to the liberation of Black/Afrikan people across the globe. RA serves our community as the Vice Chair of YouthLink MN Voices of Youth Advisory Council. He works with the 2nd Chance project as a Certified Peer Recovery Specialist and facilitates longitudinal systems transformation assessments as program manager of the Youth Research Task Force, a community participatory action research program offered by the Black Community Board.
“A role model is one who is aware that the babies are watching and acts accordingly.” Uncle Big