A Push for Native American Urban Bonding Projects

>> Cathy: IT'S A NEW APPROACH AT THE CAPITOL.

A GROUP OF URBAN NATIVE AMERICAN ORGANIZATIONS HAVE COME TOGETHER TO MAKE A JOINT PITCH TO LAWMAKERS FOR BONDING BILL SUPPORT.

IT'S CALLED THE CLYDE BELLECOURT INITIATIVE.

IT WOULD SUPPORT BUILDING PROJECTS FOR 16 ORGANIZATIONS.

HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE INITIATIVE, MARISA CUMMINGS, SHE HEADS THE INDIAN WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER.

HERE TOO, JOE HOBOT, HE HAS THE INDIAN OIC, JOB AND TRAINING CENTER.

GOOD TO SEE YOU.

USUALLY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BONDING BILLS WE'RE FOCUSED ON GREATER MINNESOTA.

THERE'S LOT OF PROJECTS ALL OVER THE STATE OF MINNESOTA BUT YOU WOULD THINK THAT YOU WOULD FOCUS ON GREATER MINNESOTA NATIVE COMMUNITIES BUT THESE ARE FOR URBAN INDIANS THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE URBAN INDIAN POPULATION.

WHY THAT CHANGE?

>> WELL, YES AND NO.

I THINK FIRST AND FOREMOST OUR COMMUNITIES CO-LOCATE BETWEEN TRIBAL HOMELANDS AND URBAN POPULATION.

WHILE WE HAVE ABOUT 60% OF OUR POPULATION LIVE OFF RESERVATION IN URBAN AREAS MANY GO BACK HOME TO SEEK JOBS.

PARTICULARLY FOR OUR ORGANIZATION WHEN WE DO JOB TRAINING AND EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES THEY MAY GET EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES BACK HOME.

AND THE TRUTH IS FOLKS COME DOWN TO THE CITIES TO SEEK EMPLOYMENT.

THIS INVESTMENT IS BOTH IN METROPOLITAN AREA AS WELL AS OUTSTATE.

>> Eric: HOW WOULD NEW FACILITIES AFFECT THE PROGRAMMING YOU CAN GIVE?

>> IT WOULD ABSOLUTELY IMPROVE THE SERVICE DELIVERY THAT WE CAN DO.

SO IT COULD INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF CLIENT RELATIVES WE SERVE AS WELL AS INCREASE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS WELL.

SO AND JUST TO FEED OFF OF YOUR QUESTION, IN 1953 THERE WAS AN ACT, FEDERAL ACT CALLED THE RELOCATION TERMINATION ACT UNDER THE TRUMAN ADMINISTRATION.

WHAT THAT ACT DID IS IT FORCED A LOT OF AMERICAN INDIAN FAMILIES INTO RBAN CENTERS LIKE MINNEAPOLIS, WE HAVE CO- OR MULTIPLE CITIZENSHIP, RIGHT?

WE HAVE TRIBAL CITIZENSHIP AND AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP.

AND SO THE 80,000 AMERICAN INDIAN PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE TWIN CITIES OFTEN MOVE BACK TO THE RESERVATION, THEN BACK TO THE CITIES AND WE SERVE THE ENTIRE, WE ARE THE MINNESOTA INDIAN WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER, WE SERVE THE ENTIRE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND BEYOND.

AND SO OUR CLIENT RELATIVES ARE BOTH THOSE WHO LIVE IN THE TWIN CITIES AND BEYOND.

>> Cathy: WHO CAME UP WITH THIS IDEA?

I MEAN, IT'S -- IT SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY GOOD ONE.

>> YEAH, WELL, I THINK IT'S REALLY LEANING INTO WHAT WE'VE BEEN TAUGHT COMING UP FROM OUR ELDERSELDERS AND THE WISDOM THEY'VE IMPARTED WITH US, THAT THE COMMUNITY SUCCEEDS WHEN WE TAKE CARE OF THE ENTIRETY OF THE COMMUNITY.

- MANY OF OUR ORGANIZATIONS IN THIS COALITION ALREADY HAVE STRONG PARTNERSHIPS AS WE REFER CLIENT RELATIVES TO RECEIVE SERVICES AND RECEIVE A CONTINUUM OF SERVICES BETWEEN EACH OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE NICHE SPECIALTIES AND WHAT THEY DO.

IT'S JUST AN EXTENSION AND EXTRAPOLATION OF THAT MINDSET THAT WE WORK TOGETHER AS A COMMUNITY AND I THINK ALSO IN THE DISCUSSIONS WE HAVE WHEN WE TALK TO EACH OTHER, WE'RE ALSO FRIENDS, WE'VE FOUND OUT EVERYONE IS IN NEED, DESPERATE NEED OF NEW BUILDINGS.

SO INSTEAD OF GETTING INTO SOME FIGHTING BETWEEN NATIONS WE'VE BLENDED TEACHINGS TO WORK TOGETHER AND SUPPORT ONE ANOTHER.

ULTIMATELY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE PART OF THIS COLLABORATIVE, THEIR SUCCESS IS GOING TO BE OUR SUCCESS AS WELL.

>> Cathy: MARISA, YOU SAID THIS WAS GOING TO BE A BIG DEAL FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION.

PAINT THE PICTURE.

IF YOU WERE TO RECEIVE SOME BONDING MONEY HOW WOULD THAT CHANGE HOW YOU WORK?

>> WELL, OUR BUILDING STARTED OUT AS A NURSES 'DORMITORY.

AND SO WE HAVE FLOODING, THERE'S SEWAGE RIGHT NOW WITH ALL THE WATER, IT'S IN OUR BASEMENT ALREADY.

IT'S JUST NOT A FUNCTIONING BUILDING, IT'S NOT SAFE AND IT'S NOT FUNCTIONAL FOR DELIVERY OF SERVICES.

AND SO THE, WHAT IT COULD DO NOT ONLY FOR THE COMMUNITY BUT ALSO FOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, WE DO EVERYTHING FROM TRADITIONAL BIRTH WORK, WE KNOW THAT AMERICAN INDIAN WOMEN HAVE THE HIGHEST RATES OF INFANT AND MATERNAL MORTALITY IN THE COUNTRY, AND SO WE'VE DESIGNED OUR OWN CULTURALLY SPECIFIC MODEL TO ADDRESS THAT EPIDEMIC.

WE ADDRESS MENTAL AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH THROUGH WE HAVE BOTH INTENSIVE OUTPATIENT TREATMENT PROGRAMS, PEER RECOVERY PROGRAMS, WE HAVE A DROP-IN CENTER FOR UNSHELTERED RELATIVES.

SO WHAT WE'VE DONE IS CREATE NOT ONLY OUR WORK AT MIWC BUT ALL OF AREAS CREATE AN ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT.

WE HAVE JOB PLACEMENT, GED TRAININGS, WE INTERREFER CLIENTS TO ONE ANOTHER.

AND WHAT THIS HAS DONE, NOT MANY OF US HAS THE CAPACITY AS ED'S BECAUSE WE'RE DOING SO MANY THINGS, WE DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY TO SEEK FUNDING INDIVIDUALLY.

THIS HAS ALLOWED US COLLECTIVELY TO COME TOGETHER TO PUSH THROUGH THIS INITIATIVE AND IT WOULD BE LIFE ALTERING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

>> Eric: IS IT A CHALLENGE TO EDUCATE NOT ONLY THE PUBLIC BUT LEGISLATORS ON THE HISTORY AND MAYBE THEY MAY NOT HAVE AS MUCH -- WELL, I THINK MINNESOTANS IN GENERAL MAY NOT HAVE A GREAT KNOWLEDGE OF THE HISTORY WITH NATIVE AMERICANS.

I WONDER IF THAT'S A CHALLENGE.

>> CHALLENGE IS TO PUT IT POLITELY.

IT IS.

AS A FORMER SOCIAL STUDIES TEACHER I WELCOME EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES WE CAN HAVE POLICY MAKERS.

I THINK IT'S AN HONOR WE HAVE WE CAN CONTINUE TO EDUCATE FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY ABOUT WHO WE ARE, WE CONSIDER THAT PART OF OUR SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY.

THERE'S A LOT OF MISNOMERS ABOUT HOW OUR COMMUNITY OPERATES, HOW OUR RESOURCES WORK OR THAT WE EVEN ARE HERE AND THERE'S A LOT OF THING THAT'S WE'VE BEEN RELEGATED TO THE BACK PAGES OF HISTORY, AND WE'RE NOT, WE'RE YOUR NEIGHBORS.

>> Cathy: HOW ARE LAWMAKERS VIEW THIS EFFORT?

AGAIN, YOU ARE TOGETHER AND YOU'RE COOPERATING AND AT HE CAPITOL AS THIS PRETTY POWERFUL GROUP.

>> WE'RE VERY PROUD OF OUR CHAMPIONS, SENATOR MAR MARY KUNESH, REPRESENTATIVE HODAN HASSAN, GOVERNOR WALZ WAS AT YOU ARE OUR RALLY JUST THIS WEEK.

WE'RE HEARTENED BY THE STRONG SUPPORT BUT WE DO GET SOME QUIZZICAL LOOKS, THIS IS A LARGE: WHY ARE WE NOT BREAKING IT APART AND REALLY WHEN WE GET INTO CONVERSATIONS WITH POLICY MAKERS THAT ARE GIVING US THESE QUIZZICAL WORKS IT COMES DOWN TO AN UNDERSTANDING HOW WE OPERATE AS A PEOPLE IN TERMS OF OUR CULTURE.

>> Cathy: I BET CLYDE BELLECOURT WOULD BE REALLY PROUD OF THIS.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

I KNOW HE WOULD BE NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT CARRIES HIS NAME BUT LEGACY OF A LOT OF THE FOUNDERS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT RESPONDED TO RELOCATION EFFORTS