Indigenous Justice

At the end of his Sacred Sites tour, Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs encourages participants to join Indigenous people in their quest for restoration of culture, language, spiritual practice, and land. He states that their coalition by itself cannot get the attention it needs to achieve these goals. The tribal nations need allies to stand with them in this work.

Black Empowerment activist Betty Freed Tuskine puts it bluntly “If you want to work with me, you have to know something about what I know so that we can work together.” That is our starting point. 

Our vision is to advance the efforts of Minnesota Indigenous tribal nations to preserve their language. culture, and spiritual life and to restore broken treaties as outlined by the Indian Land Trust Foundation. 
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​Visit our website for more information! If you are interested in connecting with the team or receiving email updates, please contact Becky Gonzalez-Campoy at beckygc83@gmail.com

Truth Telling and Healing:
Indigenous and Environmental Justice Series

September 2022 – April 2023
Sponsored by Unity's Act for the Earth and the Indigenous Justice Community Outreach Ministry Teams

Access all of the materials from this series

At the beginning of all our worship services and congregational events, we give a land acknowledgement, the last line of which states: 
We acknowledge the ongoing injustices that we have committed against the Dakota and Ojibwe Nations, and we wish to interrupt this legacy, beginning with acts of healing and honest storytelling about this place.

This is a powerful statement. To begin our journey as a congregation to interrupt these injustices, the Act for the Earth Team has joined the Indigenous Justice Team in sponsoring a seven-part monthly series on Truth Telling and Healing. Indigenous spirituality and ways of life have included a deep connection to the earth since the beginning of time. We know that to save this planet, we need to learn from and join its indigenous populations, and in particular our state of Minnesota, to reconnect to the land. 

We invite you all to this seven-part series that kicked off with a Wellspring Wednesday program on September 28. All programs will be offered in-person and online. 

In the fall we will go deeper into acknowledging the injustices toward the Indigenous people of Minnesota, by learning about the painful history of which most of us only have a vague knowledge. We will begin the process of telling the truth and taking responsibility for our part in historical injustice and the complicity that continues into the present: 

SEPTEMBER: Indigenous History in Minnesota
NOVEMBER: Relationship to Land: Treaties Made and Broken 
DECEMBER: The Role of Religion: Colonization, Missionary Work, Boarding Schools
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Beginning in January 2023, we will learn about the language, cultural, and spiritual healing that is underway in the Dakota and Ojibwe nations and reveal the repair that is needed individually and within our congregation to interrupt the legacy of injustice: 

JANUARY: Indigenous Healing through Language, Culture, and Spirituality 
MARCH: Land and Reparations
APRIL: Honor the Treaties and Save the Earth • Wednesday, April 19 • 7:10 p.m. • REGISTRATION
MAY: Our Part in Owning and Healing ​
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We are collaborating with historians, Indigenous leaders, and activist organizations to create and deliver these sessions. Unitarian Universalist and Indigenous spirituality reflections and sharing will be included in all seven sessions. 

Please watch these two brief video messages from the Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs, shared in our October 18 worship service, “Moving at the Speed of Trust.”

Bdote Stories of First Creation, Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs

Wrestling with Stories of Trauma in the Land Beneath Our Feet, Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs