CeMarr Peterson

CeMarr Peterson is a seasoned community leader and advocate based in Minneapolis, Minnesota working locally and nationally to end sex trafficking and homelessness. She brings 13+ years of experience of youth and adult victim advocacy and developing cutting edge programs and services with organizations such as Breaking Free, The Family Partnership’s PRIDE Program, Hennepin County’s Juvenile Detention Center, and The Link. One of the personal highlights of her career thus far has been co-creating The Link’s Project Live Out Loud Program, one of the first culturally-specific housing programs for LGBTQ+ youth experiencing homelessness in the United States.

CeMarr currently serves as The Link’s Safe Harbor Division Director and oversees various programs for youth victims and survivors or sex trafficking, including but not limited to (2) 24/7 Emergency Shelters for Minors, Housing Programs and Community/Supportive Services Programming. In addition, she also currently oversees all Mental Health and Chemical Dependency programming across The Link’s organization. CeMarr has played a key role in training systems' professionals and communities regarding the traumas, strategies, and best practices of working with and supporting sexually exploited youth in their journeys and advocating for legislation such as the Safe Harbor Law and the Homeless Youth Act.  

CeMarr was awarded the 2022 Luminary Award from the Minnesota Coalition for the Homeless, and most recently a 2024 Community Leadership Award at North Minneapolis’ 4^th Annual Purple Day celebration, and a Fashion Icon award from the Minnesota People Of Color’s Pride as it relates to her use of fashion in advocacy efforts. In addition, CeMarr was interviewed in 2023 by the Minnesota Women’s Press and helped to co-author a written piece and participate as an expert panelist regarding topics on gender-based violence, as well as played a key role in Vice News’ “When Black Women Go Missing” 2024 Documentary, and was 1 of 10 national subject matter experts to graduate the Human Trafficking Leadership Academy (HTLA-Class 8) National Fellowship via the Administration for Children & Families Office on Trafficking in Persons.

CeMarr is also on the Board of Directors for Wildflyer Coffee, a Minnesota-based specialty coffee company that works to create employment opportunities for youth experiencing homelessness and housing instability through the cultivation of life skills and personal empowerment.

CeMarr’s strengths lie in being a great facilitator, innovator, storyteller, and community connector. She prides herself on being able to work across difference to challenge systems and policies rooted in white supremacy that work against BIPOC and LGBTQ+ youth. CeMarr has a strong belief in helping youth and families understand generational trauma in ways that help to break cycles of harm specifically within African American families, as this learning has helped her to be successful both in her own personal and professional environments.