Oral history interview with Rachael Joseph, 2017

Biographical Note

A native Minnesotan, Rachael Joseph is the Director of Outreach at Protect Minnesota and the Advocacy Director at Women Against the Violence Epidemic (WAVE). She also sits on the Board of Directors of the Public Policy Committee at Minnesota Alliance on Crime. She is married with two young children and lives in Minneapolis

Scope and Contents

Rachael Joseph begins the interview describing her youth in Minnesota, in Minneapolis, Minnetonka, project housing in Golden Valley, and briefly in Nashville, Tennessee. She describes her parents and gives a detailed description of personalities and the dynamics on her father's side of the family. Some topics discussed include Jewish holidays, tradition and belief, the family's involvement in the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). A major focus of the interview is her aunt, Shelley Joseph-Kordell, who was murdered by a mentally ill relative in 2003. Joseph discusses her relationship with her aunt and Joseph-Kordell's centrality in family activities and holidays. She also discusses guns and gun ownership in the family, the circumstances leading up to the murder, and the events of the murder itself. Joseph-Kordell and attorney Rick Hendrickson were shot at the Hennepin County Government Center. Joseph describes the aftermath, familial trauma, and anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. She also describes her evolution and activism regarding gun violence and reform

Subjects

• Gun control--United States.
• Interviews.
• Joseph, Rachael--Interviews.
• Minneapolis (Minn.)
• Murder.
• Murder victims' families.
• Oral histories (literary works)
• Violent crimes--United States.
• Werner-Thomas, Holly, interviewer.

Access Conditions

Copyright by Rachael Joseph. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York hold a non-exclusive license to enable library activities