Legislation to protect Native children if ICWA overturned
By Lee Egerstrom Several bills for Native American Minnesotans, their families and communities are gaining momentum early in the Minnesota Legislature with high chances of becoming law. One big jump occurred Feb. 27 when the Minnesota Senate voted 66-1to approve Senate File 667, which seeks to add children protection measures in the federal Indian Child Welfare […]
Political Matters – February 2023
By Mordecai Specktor Water is life In a victory for Minnesota’s Ojibwe bands and environmentalists, the Biden-Harris administration took action in late January to protect the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the surrounding watershed from potential mining pollution. The U.S. Department of the Interior announced in a Jan. 26 press release that Secretary of […]
New legislative district expands the influence of Native voters
By Dan Gunderson/MPR News Minnesota Senate District 2 boundaries were redrawn this year, shifting to the east to encompass the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe. The district now includes Red Lake, Leech Lake and White Earth, the three largest tribal nations located in Minnesota. DFL candidate Alan Roy expects to get strong support from Native […]
Political Matters – November 2022
By Mordecai Specktor Talon Metals prepares to dig On Oct. 27, the United Nations issued a report on the climate crisis and the news wasn’t good. “Despite a high-profile promise to boost ambitions at last year’s U.N. climate summit, nations have shaved just 1 percent off their projected greenhouse gas emissions for 2030 … leaving […]
Political Matters – September 2022
By Mordecai Specktor Free Leonard Peltier In 1978, I began corresponding with Leonard Peltier, the American Indian Movement (AIM) activist serving two consecutive life sentences for aiding and abetting the killing of two FBI agents. His case comes out of the June 26, 1975, shootout at the Jumping Bull ranch, near Oglala on the Pine […]
Native Americans rally at capitol in support of funding bill
Sixteen Twin Cities American Indian organizations and their supporters filled the Minnesota State Capitol Rotunda in St. Paul on March 25 to highlight a bold, “all in” proposal to construct 12 new, capacity-building facilities. “The community’s needs are great, but so too are the state’s resources,” said Dr. Joe Hobot, president and CEO of American […]