One year later: Catholic Charities CEO sees hurt wrought by Floyd’s death among Twin Cities people in need

Lift each other up in the midst of trauma, poverty and injustice.

That’s the simple but profound advice from Michael Goar as he works through the anxiety and sorrow of clients and employees at the organization he leads, Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact one year ago of the police-involved death of George Floyd.

Many employees of Catholic Charities, and many of the people the organization helps, are Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native American, said Goar, president and CEO of the largest social services organization in the Twin Cities, with more than 500 employees serving 23,000 men, women, children and families each year.

For them, the police-involved death of Floyd, an African American, on May 25, 2020, and the subsequent trial and second-degree murder conviction just one month ago of Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis police officer who is white, was particularly traumatic, said Goar, who is Black and South Korean.

Last summer, protests focused on racial justice and police reform followed Floyd’s death in the Twin Cities and around the country. Rioting also broke out in St. Paul and Minneapolis and other U.S. cities. The Minneapolis Star Tribune estimates that more than 1,500 locations were damaged in the Twin Cities, with dozens of buildings burned down.

This spring, Chauvin’s trial drew national attention. Police and Minnesota National Guard troops were poised for rioting after Chauvin’s conviction, but verdict-related violence did not materialize.

“They lived this trauma in the course of the trial,” Goar told The Catholic Spirit May 18, speaking of the people Catholic Charities serves. “The issue of racial reckoning has a tremendous impact on a personal level, not just an institutional level.”

Goar doesn’t leave himself out.

“One thing I recall, when I first saw Mr. Floyd’s death at the hands of Mr. (Derek) Chauvin, I felt like that could have been me,” said Goar, who was born in South Korea, adopted at age 12 and raised in south Minneapolis. “I don’t have a stamp on my forehead that I’m CEO of Catholic Charities. I am a Black man in our community.”

Statistics show that homelessness and a lack of affordable housing disproportionately impact people of color, Goar said. Blacks are incarcerated at a higher rate than whites, and Minnesota is last among the 50 states for people of color graduating from high school, he said.

“We are 50th, dead last,” he emphasized.

People seeking help from Catholic Charities often are unemployed, homeless, struggling with mental health, substance abuse or other challenges, feeling alone and isolated, he said. They are met with compassion and understanding by employees who are trained in trauma-informed care, he said.

“It’s about recognition and empathy,” Goar said. “How to intervene and engage in that moment.”

When Chauvin’s trial began in late March, managers were invited to twice-weekly virtual “huddles” to discuss their feelings, needs and the needs of those they work with. A trained facilitator from Catholic Charities’ staff played host and discussions were wide ranging, Goar said. Held online to help prevent spread of COVID-19, meetings are now offered once a week.

“It helps people to process out loud, express feelings and insights, emotions of hopelessness, sadness and joy,” Goar said. “It allowed us to create a healing community.”

Using trained facilitators, any business, parish or school can offer similar services and support, he said.

Goar, 55, took the helm at Catholic Charities in January, after nearly five years of leading youth mentoring organization Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities and serving in public education before that. The COVID-19 pandemic and Floyd’s death have been particularly hard on youth, who haven’t developed the coping skills of an adult, Goar said. School campuses were closed for months last year during the pandemic, limiting youths’ ability to seek counseling or other assistance if they needed it, he said.

Recent violence making headlines in Minneapolis reflects some of the trauma being felt, Goar said. Three young children were struck by stray bullets in the course of two weeks in Minneapolis and one died. So far this year, the city has had more than two dozen homicides, nearly double the number at the same time last year.

“It’s profoundly impacting our youth,” Goar said of the pandemic, Floyd’s death and the protests and riots that followed in the Twin Cities and around the country. “Young people don’t have the tools and skills to debrief and talk it over. On top of that, you have single parents, food insecurity, homelessness. Who will they process with? Who will they talk to? We are witnessing young people disengaging from community norms and engaging in destructive behavior.”

Catholic Charities has a child care center and programs that assist young families and homeless youth 16 and older, Goar said. “Where possible, where we engage, we are very aware” of the difficult environment, he said.

A 12-member volunteer committee at Catholic Charities has helped lead efforts in the organization to greater equity and diversity, Goar said. In light of Floyd’s death and the broad discussions about race and racism it has evoked, Goar said he hopes to find room in the budget for a director of racial equity and diversity who can help employees grow still more aware, sensitive and just in their dealings with one another and those seeking assistance.

Goar said he brings his own experience to the table: knowing hunger and uncertainty in South Korea, where his mother struggled to provide for him and placed him in an orphanage at age 6. After being adopted, he was raised, loved and mentored by his adoptive parents in south Minneapolis.

“I know what it means to be hungry, and what it means to be homeless, how humbling it is,” he said. “And how important it is to have someone take your hand and lift you up.”

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Increasing parish involvement

Hoping to expand Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis’ charity for people in need while fighting for social justice, Michael Goar is turning to parishes.

Still in the early planning stages, Goar brought the idea of reaching out to parishes to Archbishop Bernard Hebda on March 19. In their 45-minute meeting, the archbishop was supportive, Goar said.

“It is our goal to really engage with the Church,” said Goar, who is Lutheran but well versed in Catholic social teaching, which inspires Catholic Charities’ mission.

Catholic Charities has begun working with several parishes to better understand their needs and the landscape of the archdiocese, and to engage in mutually beneficial ways, Goar said. While not naming the parishes, Goar said goals include finding ways the agency can contribute to parish and parishioners’ engagement in charity and social justice work.

“We know where we came from,” Goar said of Catholic parishes, which throughout Catholic Charities’ 150-year history have provided many of its volunteers, donors and social justice advocates.

“We’d like to engage with local parishes, talk about social justice priorities, homelessness and racism, and what they can do to help eliminate those in our community,” Goar said.

“It can’t be all about charity, and it won’t all come from social justice,” he said. “There has to be a balance.”