LONGFELLOW COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Meet LCC and SNG tenant organizer

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Torrie Pernell joined LCC in 2022 after working as an early childhood educator for over 10 years, and is serving as a third year alumna for AmeriCorps through their VISTA program. Originally from Chicago but raised here in Minneapolis, she’s been a dedicated educator, volunteer, and humanitarian for youth and equality for over 20 years.

Where do you live (city/neighborhood)? Can you provide some information about you, your family/pets, hobbies, etc.?
I just moved to the Maple Grove area after living in Minneapolis for over two decades. It’s quite different, but the neighbors are friendly and the scenery is very beautiful. My goal one day is to open my own child care center, with a focus on Kindergarten readiness and keeping scholars at or above grade level with our tutoring services.
I have six beautiful children of my own and two grandchildren who I take great pride in raising and caring for. I love learning about history, reading memoirs, and playing a nice game of pool.

What drew you to Longfellow and
this position?
I applied for the VISTA Tenant Organizer position because I discovered all the ambition and hard work that everyone at Longfellow Community Council was doing to create change for the community, and I knew I had to be involved. Their involvement with projects like Free the Deeds and their barrier-free rental assistance program work to address the inequities in our neighborhood’s housing.
It was my goal to use my passion about equality and community to be a part of something great. I am very grateful for this opportunity to contribute to what’s ahead, and I look forward to connecting with the renters in the Longfellow and Seward neighborhoods.

What are your goals for this role?
The goals I have for my role is first to be a listener to the community and their needs, doing my best to make sure that every neighbor feels included and has a seat at the table on issues in the community, while getting as many residents connected to resources that best serve and are available to them and their families. As a renter, I know how complicated it can be to find resources and how important it is to have someone to advocate for you. I’m hoping that renters can look to LCC as an organization that can provide them with that support and engage them with their community through events and programming.

What value does the LCC bring
to the community?
LCC and SNG focuses on the real issues and needs of the community such as housing, development, transportation and environment. However there needs to be more representation of the BIPOC community in neighborhood organizations, so I value the fact that these neighborhood organizations are working relentlessly at achieving this goal.
Contact Torrie at torrie@longfellow.org.

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