Eyonia (Greetings),

In light of past, recent, and ongoing events in our community and other communities, the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center condemns all forms of police and gun-related violence against Black lives and stands in solidarity with the Black community. George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis Police earlier this summer, Kenosha Police’s shooting of Jacob Blake this week, and every other act of violence committed against individuals in our communities by police in the past 500+ years demonstrates that violence will continue in this settler colonial state until proper action steps are taken to dismantle these systems. We grieve all of the lives that have been senselessly lost to state-sponsored violence. MIWRC supports protests advocating for Black Lives in Minneapolis and throughout what is currently known as the United States.

MIWRC affirms the belief that we must dissolve all systems of the police state and the paramilitarization of police forces. We stand with Black communities and individuals that have been advocating for community-driven solutions to policing for generations. We encourage our Indigenous community members to listen to Black community leaders and organizations, supporting them with your action, words, and money when possible. Our communities are stronger when we join together in the fight for liberation and basic human rights. Some local Minneapolis Black-led groups that we will be following, supporting, and uplifting include Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro, Reclaim the Block, and Black Visions Collective, among others.

Waxe sabe nita egotha
(Black People Want Life Too)

Uda Monthi-a
(Walk in a Good Way),

Marisa Miakonda Cummings
Umonhon/Omaha
President/CEO, Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center