Archive for July, 2020
AIM and Traditional Peacemaking are Still Here
“We are still here.” “American Indian Vietnam vets were moving to the cities after their military service to find jobs to support their families. In Minnesota, thousands left the reservations and moved to the cities to go to the schools and find jobs. At the same time, negative attitudes toward Indians were widespread among the white police force, and nothing seemed to stop them from injuring people caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.” “ Even with Federal Funding coming into Minneapolis for jobs training, there was not enough to keep up with the numbers of Indians who were moving into Minneapolis”™ major cities.  The police, first enforcers of the law and, to an extent, of the mores of the majority population, came into contact with Indian people in a very ugly way.”  Franklin Front Yard Signs thanking American Indian Movement Patrol and Black Lives Matter and Rest in Peace Tributes to [...]
HOW DO YOU TREAT THE STRANGER AT YOUR DOOR
By Barb Tilsen How do you treat the stranger at your door The one who comes in need of comfort with no place to sleep Little food Just the few possessions they can carry in one move This question is before us all around the world People displaced, on the move from the dangerous and intolerable The refugee, the homeless the one seeking harbor and safety at the border, on your doorstep fleeing the storms of the world How do we treat the stranger at our door Like the Lady in the harbor raising the torch poetry in her arms welcoming all to this shore Or with barbed wire, the wall, the guns, the fear It all comes home to rest in our front yard now Just across the street in our beloved park Yes we need compassion and love But the harsh reality of hunger, unmet needs of no place else to go demands concrete solutions As neighbors we act to meet the need Bring food and supplies We call and organize in all the ways we [...]
