States of Incarceration focuses on incarceration of Natives in Minnesota
By Lee Egerstrom An unusual collaboration of academic institutions, issues organizations and Native groups has opened a traveling exhibit at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul that looks at mass incarceration of people in the United States up to the present time. The focus of the exhibit here is on the disproportionate incarceration of […]
Wall of Forgotten Natives to move indoors?
By Lee Egerstrom Officials from Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Red Lake Nation and other planners have set Dec. 8 as the date for the homeless encampment near Hiawatha and Franklin Avenues to relocate indoors at a “navigation center” to help the homeless brave the cold and seek other housing. Whether that can be achieved by the […]
What’s New In The Community – December 2018
StrongHearts Native Helpline Announces Move to the TC The StrongHearts Native Helpline, a partnered project of the National Domestic Violence Hotline and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, is moving from Austin, Texas, to its permanent home in Eagan, Minnesota, where its national headquarters will be based. The move will take place in the winter […]
Political Matters – December 2018
By Mordecai Specktor Native women in the House The 2018 midterm elections served to pump the brakes on America’s slide toward fascism under the Trump administration. Most notably, the U.S. House of Representatives will shift to Democratic control, as the Dems gained 39 seats, far more than the 23 seats they needed to take over. […]
Community Calendar – November 2018
Thru Nov. 9 Ties and Tethers Exhibit Artist Lori Biwer-Stewart is a self-taught printmaker who finds inspiration in the natural world around her, as well as from her own dreams and beliefs. She enjoys incorporating symbolic images such as birds, keys, and doors to encourage thought and provoke the viewer’s own interpretation. For added texture […]
Coalition forms to oppose Saint Paul’s joint powers agreement
By Camille Erickson Throughout nearly three decades of involvement in criminal justice reform, Laura LeBlanc worked diligently to create what she calls a “strong and deliberate moat” around correctional systems to protect youth. Having witnessed the irreversible impact incarceration can have on Native youth and youth of color in her life, LeBlanc helps lead Oyate […]
Temporary Navigation Center being prepared for “the Wall” homeless
By Lee Egerstrom Demolition work in warehouse property in south Minneapolis is underway to convert space into a temporary Navigation Center for the 300 or more mostly American Indian homeless living at the Wall of Forgotten Natives encampment. The Minneapolis City Council authorized $1.5 million on Oct. 19 to convert the property at 2109 Cedar […]
Native Americans celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day
By Laura Yuen/MPR From protests to parades, Native Americans on October 8th celebrated Indigenous Peoples’ Day – a reclaiming of a holiday once dedicated to Christopher Columbus. Some recalled how as children, their parents offered a narrative of Columbus that was far different from what they learned in school. “He was lost. He never really […]
It Ain’t Easy Being Indian – November 2018
By Ricey Wild So this is the 20-year anniversary of my column being published (give or take a few months when I was deeply depressed, maybe like six or so at the worst). Plz don’t correct me if I’m wrong…I have issues. I will bring that up in my next therapy session. JK! Yooz are […]
To an encampment, our people have come home
By Joe Hobot There is an encampment in Minneapolis populated by indigenous people – and it is growing. People who have gathered there are the displaced, the unemployed, the addicted, the battered, and the sexually exploited. They have come home. They have come home to the community that they are now counting on for help, […]
What’s New in the Community – October 2018
Adrienne Benjamin named one of the National Center’s 2018 Native American 40 Under 40 Award Recipients The National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development announced its 2018 class of “Native American 40 Under 40” award recipients. Nominated by members of their communities, the award is bestowed to individuals under the age of 40 who have […]
Community Calendar – October 2018
Thru Oct. 2019 Horse Nation of the Ochéthi Šakówiŋ All My Relations Arts presents Horse Nation of the Ochéthi Šakówi, an exhibition that explores how horses shape the history, spirituality, and culture of the Dakhóta, Nakhóta, and Lakhóta (Dakota, Nakota, and Lakota) people, collectively known as the Ochéthi Šakówiŋ (Seven Council Fires). The exhibition features paintings, textiles, film, and […]