By PETER MOLENAAR
Press release from the U.S. Department of the Interior: As established by order 3404 under Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, the Board on Geographic Names has voted on replacement names for some 650 geographic features previously designated by the word sq—. Yet, those familiar with Little Earth are acquainted with the prominent signage there: END PIPELINES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, TRAFFICKING, HOMELESSNESS, RAPE, ALCOHOLISM, RACISM, GENOCIDE. Certainly, the struggle for reparations must press forward. With this in mind, Elizabeth Royal, attorney for our Urban Farm project, believes we have a very strong case against our city’s intent to concentrate more pollution in the neighborhood… dirty air which imparts asthma, and yes, diminishes the learning capacity of our children.
Moreover, our readers know about the Pope’s recent visit to Canada with intent to heal the historic trauma meted out by the boarding schools there. But oh, Minnesota had its own boarding schools, and yes, this writer has promised to bring you the story of Cecelia (White Earth, Ojibwa). As it happened, we did share a meal at Maria’s Cafe where an interview revealed the story of Cecelia’s placement on a dairy farm, as per a boarding school’s judgment. In essence, she was enslaved as a child into a household totally lacking in parental love. Nonetheless, her story is that of a resolute determination to be a good and productive person. Sure, like me, she became an industrial worker, but in a better world, she might have easily qualified to become a nurse… or medical doctor.
Speaking of nurses:
This old Teamster has earned yet another red t-shirt from the Minnesota Nurses Association. At the corner of 26th Street and 10th Avenue, I held high the slogan: PATIENTS BEFORE PROFITS. Hey, our nurses are a class-conscious, multi-racial force to be reckoned with, now and in the future. Indeed: “Failure to Consult Nurses is Bad Medicine!”
So now, Little Earth, ponder Brazil and the Amazon Forest. The “lungs of the earth” continue to to burn, all the while displacing the indigenous ones. Bolsonaro, the would be dictator there, has stated ahead of time that his defeat in the coming election will constitute a “rigged election” and the likelihood of a civil war. Sound familiar?
Even so, we remain in the quantitative phase of a revolutionary process. The Great Leap Forward is yet to come.
