Meet ‘Peace Portraits’ Honoree Rafi Peterson
Meet “Peace Portraits” honoree Rafi Peterson, Director of Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) at Southwest Organizing Project (SWOP). A foundational figure of Chicago’s violence prevention efforts, Peterson has spent over 25 years of his life on the front lines of Community Violence Intervention (CVI) with CeaseFire, Cure Violence Global, and now, SWOP and CP4P.
“Peace Portraits,” presented by the Illinois Peace Project, is a visual project dedicated to spotlighting the incredible individuals making a difference in Illinois. This year’s five honorees embody the spirit of “Peace Portraits,” as they work tirelessly to strengthen their communities, empower residents, inspire change, and foster peace and harmony in their communities.
In his role, Peterson is intimately familiar with the challenges Chicago’s young people face. “The young kids are going through things they don’t have to go through. If we were given the proper tools in the communities to work with the young people […] we could flip this thing overnight.”