Archive for November, 2014
All in the Family
By Peter Molenaar Misfits and “free thinking” types should take Cedar Avenue to Hiawatha, west to Highway 94 to 394/12 all the way to Willmar, Minnesota. There you will find a sanctuary. Actually, this particular Unitarian church was founded by my Grandpa Peter Molenaar. I journeyed there recently to attend a reunion. The first encounter was with a second cousin. Mega-factory pig farms had put him out of the hog business years ago. Skeptical with regard to the emerging market for free range pork, Jay has taken to selling John Deere Tractors. Mary Anne, now at 90 years of age, was next on the scene. Taking both her hands, I bowed my head while apologizing for having disrupted one of her Bible lessons. The gift of her last hug will not be forgotten. In came first cousin Steve who had been an accountant in a polyethylene injection molding company. These days he is a “hired hand” on the 450 acre corn and soybean farm his wife owns. Between the two of us, it was [...]
Kudos to City Pages for recruitment article
Frank Reflections By Frank Erickson The October 8th City Pages had a front page article titled “HOMEGROWN-Minnesota Somalis battle terror recruiters for the souls of youth.” Yes, wonderful story; very important to bring attention to this, it is appalling to see Navy, Army, Air Force and Marine recruiters now going after the souls of local Somali youth. Good job, City Pages, your approach was right on target. For instance, if you would have focused only on the al-Shabab terror recruiters, your story would have been nothing more than sensationalism, a baseless and empty story, that viewed our Somali community as a hotbed of potential terrorists based only on skin color. An empty story based on the fact that just last month the New York Times reported that the Justice Department “prosecuted only five people from 2011 to 2013 for the crime of attempting to travel abroad to aid terrorists.” This “only five” is a national number, not a Minnesota [...]
BYI Circle of Healing Practitioners Highlight: Beyond Historical Trauma
by Nancy Bordeaux and Phoebe Iron Necklace Six years ago, Nancy Bordeaux and I crossed paths at a Native American naming ceremony for my Grandson. Our conversation subsequently revolved around the powerful responsibilities we “Oceti Sakowin win” were entrusted to uphold within our respective families and communities. Fast forwarding the significance of this story, the seed of our initial conversation softened and sprouted roots. We found ourselves conducting outreach and networking with women of the Seven Council Fires whose people speak the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota dialects and language. The Oceti Sakowin is the formal name of our indigenous nation. Therefore, it was under our nation”'s protocols that we converged and stood as a group to sing prayer, healing, and women”'s songs. In the process, we committed ourselves to reinvigorate our personal lives with health and healing in this sacred and collective manner. Our newfound capacity enabled us to encircle [...]
