Gender/GLBT

"This may be the women's only joy: getting together one to two nights a week, with kind hearts and laughter. Sadness and grief is a way of life [for Native American women]," Audrey Thayer said, recounting the purpose of the Native Women Together Sewing Project. "Many of our families, we don't have a lot [of money]. We never know what's going to happen tomorrow. This is a place of peace and serenity. Many poor people don't have that serenity. ... I wanted to help other Native women build community in a peaceful space." While women on reservations have plenty of opportunities to connect, she said, "One thing poor Native women don't have off-reservation is community." 

As the Minnesota Independent first reported earlier this month, 1st Congressional District candidate J

An appropriations bill passed by Congress last weekend is being hailed by public health advocates for ending funding for abstinence-until-marriage sex education and eliminating the ban on federal f

"I got my life back, that is why I'm standing up, to put a face on the story" began Bukola Oriola, who was a journalist in Nigeria before marrying a United States citizen, a family friend from Nigeria. After they were married, they moved to Minnesota. Then, Bukola says, her husband "changed from someone very gentle and kind to someone I'd never met." Bukola was not allowed to see neighbors or form relationships. Her husband forced her to work 14 hours a day braiding hair, without pay, even when she was pregnant. After the birth of their child, her husband often threatened to divorce and report her to immigration officials. Her son, as a U.S. citizen, would stay in the country.