Events

Quick Facts
What: States of Incarceration exhibit
When: Nov. 20, 2018-Feb. 18, 2019
Where: Irvine Gallery, Minnesota History Center, St. Paul
Admission: Free

Today more than 2 million Americans, including around 10,000 men and women in Minnesota, are in jail or prison in the United States, the highest mass incarceration rate of any country in the world.

On Tuesday, Nov. 20, “States of Incarceration”—the first national traveling exhibit and coordinated public dialogue exploring the history and future of mass incarceration in the US—will open in the Irvine Gallery at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

The States of Incarceration project was created by university students from around the country, including University of Minnesota students who researched Minnesota’s high rate of Native imprisonment, which is 12 times higher than the white population.

In the exhibit, visitors can examine how centuries of Native trauma has shaped Minnesota prison population today, including unfair treaties, forced removal by the US government, the US-Dakota War of 1862 and Dakota concentration camp at Fort Snelling, and the Indian boarding school movement.

The exhibit also contains new content created by the Minnesota History Center and local partners, exploring local stories as well as artifacts made by formerly incarcerated people. Plus, see Pine Ridge artist Quinton Maldonado’s collection of ledger drawings—an art form created in captivity by Native people—where he draws parallels between Native history and Native imprisonment today.

“Long-term imprisonment is a new phase of historic trauma, breaking up families and eroding balance,” Maldonado says in his artist statement.

The Minnesota History Center and its partners will host a series of related programs throughout the exhibit’s run, including an installation of cut flowersto acknowledge imprisonment in Minnesota and promote healing; a parallel exhibit on culturally focused prison education programs in Minnesota at the AIM Interpretive Center; a talk on art created by current and formerly incarcerated people and a conversation series on these issues in Minnesota and the US. 

“States of Incarceration” is a project of Humanities Action Lab and was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, National Endowment for the Humanities, Whiting Foundation, Open Society Foundations and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Local contributors to the exhibit are Oyate Hotanin, American Indian Prison Project, InEquality, American Indian Movement Interpretive Center, The Circle of Peace Movement, Calee Cecconi, and the following programs at the University of Minnesota: the Institute for Advanced Study, the Heritage Studies and Public History program, the Department of History, the Department of American Indian Studies, the School of Architecture, the College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota Libraries, and Liberal Arts Technologies and Innovation Services.

About the Minnesota History Center
The Minnesota History Center holds the vast collections of the Minnesota Historical Society and is home to the History Center museum with innovative exhibits, Gale Family Library, café and museum store. The History Center is located at 345 W. Kellogg Blvd. in St. Paul. For more information, visit www.minnesotahistorycenter.org.

The Minnesota Historical Society is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution established in 1849. MNHS collects, preserves and tells the story of Minnesota’s past through museum exhibits, libraries and collections, historic sites, educational programs and book publishing. Using the power of history to transform lives, MNHS preserves our past, shares our state’s stories and connects people with history. Visit us at mnhs.org.

The Minnesota Historical Society is supported in part by its Premier Partners: Xcel Energy and Explore Minnesota Tourism.

Photo captions: Dakota concentration camp at Fort Snelling in 1863 (right), ledger drawing artwork by Quinton Maldonado (left)

Each month through March, watch a different thought-provoking film and engage in community discussion afterward around topics in history that resonate today. In February, view the 2017 film Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami about the iconic singer and actress.

This film series is a partnership between the Minnesota Historical Society, the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul, and the Capri Theater. This program is made possible by the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund through the vote of Minnesotans on Nov. 4, 2008.

The East Side Freedom Library invites you to the next conversation in its series “Labor and Social Movements.”

THE LABOR MOVEMENT AND THE FIGHT FOR $15

Monday, February 18, 2019, 7PM

In the past three years, movements from Seattle to Washington, D.C., have fought to raise the local minimum wage to $15 an hour. In the past year, activists’ pressure led the city governments of Minneapolis and St. Paul to put in place a process to raise the local minimum wage to $15 over a period of years. There is a campaign on-going at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport.

What role has the labor movement played in these grassroots campaigns? What lessons have been learned in these campaigns which could help the labor movement to revitalize itself? How are they all connected?

Please join a panel of activists who will share their experiences and engage these questions and each other.

ESFL’s monthly program on “Labor and Social Movements” is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Labor Education Service.

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East Side Freedom Library, 1105 Greenbrier Street
Free and open to all
info@eastsidefreedomlibrary.org and 651-230-3294

345 W. Kellogg Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55102

651-259-3015
boxoffice@mnhs.org

A panel discussion during Endangered Data Week

We live in a world where both an overabundance and a paucity of data coexist, and members of vulnerable populations (such as undocumented immigrants, prisoners, and transgender folks) can be at risk from either end of this spectrum. Too much data can dangerously reveal someone’s status or identity, and an absence of data can undercut the creation of infrastructure required to support a group’s needs.

In this panel, scholars from across the university campus consider these questions from diverse perspectives.

Register Now

When: February 21 | 2:30-4:00 p.m.
Location: Wilson Research Collaboration Studio

About the panelists

Filiberto Nolasco Gomez (Editor of Workday Minnesota/Labor Education Service) will talk about his critical use of data when researching and writing about prison labor and immigrant detention.

Lars Mackenzie (doctoral candidate, Department of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies) will discuss how data collected under the guise of credit reports can harm transgender people.

Christopher Uggen (Regents Professor and Distinguished McKnight Professor of Sociology and Law, Fellow of the American Society of Criminology) will discuss these matters drawing on his experience and research with prison and crime data.

Polarized Theatre of the Oppressed with Asylum Seekers and Israeli Citizens

Emerging from a moment of political repression in Latin America in the 1970s, the theory and practice of “Theatre of the Oppressed” (TO) has had to continually adjust to remain relevant as a tool for revolutionary social change. Israeli activist and scholar Chen Alon has worked with various groups to create what he terms a “Polarized” TO model. Groups such as Combatants for Peace—an alliance of Palestinian and Israeli ex-combatants, co-founded by Alon—deploy the practice alongside direct actions and alternative memorial rituals. In this talk, Alon discusses the Polarized TO model and its application to Holot Legislative Theatre (HLT), a group he co-founded composed of African Asylum seekers and Israeli allies. Through TO-based interactive performances, HLT aims to arouse public and legal debate leading to political transformation. The presentation includes the digital presence of HLT actor Nouraldin Mussa, an asylum seeker from Darfur currently residing in Canada.

Dr. Chen Alon is a theatre activist, actor and director, the head of Community-Based Theatre and Artivism for social change program, at the theatre department of Tel Aviv University. As a Major (res.) in the Israeli army he co-founded “Courage to Refuse”, a movement of officers and combatant soldiers who refuse to serve in the occupied Palestinian territories, an action for which he was sentenced to prison. Activism in the complicated reality in Israel/Palestine led him as a professional actor and director, from the repertory theatre, to search and create new forms of political activism, in the Israeli-Palestinian theatre to resist non-violently the occupation. He is a co-founder and director-Joker of Holot Theatre, and group of African asylum seekers and Israeli citizens.

Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Philippine Center of Minnesota
1380 Frost Ave, Maplewood, MN

Beyond the dramatic events at the southern border, the US immigration system is in the midst of a far-reaching transformation that has implications for anyone seeking legal permanent residency for themselves or their families. Federico Malibago, a Filipino attorney based in Minneapolis, will present a brief over view of many immigration issues of particular importance to the Filipinx community, including knowing your rights as a legal or undocumented immigrant, best practices for green card holders, immigration scams, and when to seek a lawyer’s help in immigration matters. There will also be significant time allotted for Q&A, so come with your own questions!

Event sponsored by FIRM (Filipinx for Immigrant Rights & Racial Justice Minnesota). For further information about this event or to submit questions ahead of time, email Greg King at Greg@firmtc.org.

Firmtc.org

FB.com/Firmtc

www. fmalibagolaw.com

MNxMN conference strengthens Minnesotans’ civic engagement muscles

Early bird registration is open for the February 24 MNxMN 2019: Beyond the Vote conference, MNxMN’s second annual event dedicated to empowering civic engagement in Minnesota.  MNxMN (pronounced “Minn by Minn”) is a community of activists and advocates across the state working to build a more equitable Minnesota. “The Beyond the Vote conference will help Minnesotans make sure our voices are heard,” said MNxMN chair Ambre Quinn.

Minneapolis artist Ricardo Levins Morales, whose vivid and powerful artworks have helped define decades of protests, will bring his self-described healing and trickster organizing skills as the keynote speaker.

The Beyond the Vote conference happens at Harding Senior High, 1540 Sixth St. East, St. Paul, 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. The day-long program features workshops and activities to deepen attendees’ knowledge about issues, develop advocacy skills and build relationships between new and experienced activists and advocacy organizations in Minnesota.

Workshops and forums will focus on issues ranging from the ERA, Islamophobia, disability rights, reparations to healthcare reform, municipal IDs, police brutality and electoral politics.

Attendees can boost their skills to tell their own or others’ stories, use social media for organizing, and reverse opioid overdoses using Narcan. Attendees can also learn about specific communities at sessions on the historical trauma of Native Americans, a coalition to prevent deportations, and listening to Minnesota women.

Born in Puerto Rico, keynote speaker Ricardo Levins Morales brings an array of life and work experiences echoing the conference’s themes. He was drawn into activism in Chicago where his family moved in the late 1960s.  Morales has worked in support and solidarity with the Black Panthers, Young Lords, and with peace, racial justice, farm, labor and environmental movements. He co-founded the Northland Poster Collective, which for thirty years provided artistic and printing services and materials to labor and community struggles. From his south Minneapolis studio/storefront, Morales uses his art and activism to address individual, collective and historical trauma, and leads trainings on creative organizing, social justice strategy and sustainable activism.

Other speakers at this year’s Beyond the Vote conference include:
Jammi Hansen Blair, Women’s March MN
Monique Cullars Doty,  Black Lives Matter Twin Cities Metro
Michelle Gross, Communities United Against Police Brutality
Yurie Hong, Indivisible St. Peter-Greater Mankato
Jaylani Hussein,  CAIR MN (Council for American Islamic Relations MN)
Sheila Lamb,  MN350
Francisco Segovia,  COPAL MN (Comunidades Organizado el Poder y la Acción Latina MN)
Maya Sprenger-Otto, Students Demand Action MN
Erika Thorne,  SURJ MN (Standing Up for Racial Justice MN)

With the Minnesota legislative session in progress, this Beyond the Vote conference gives people a great way to get involved in activism.  “While some Minnesotans hit the gym in winter to tone their abs, we’re helping people statewide strengthen their civic engagement muscles, so they can make a difference,” Quinn said.

Last year’s MNxMN Beyond Resistance conference drew nearly 400 attendees and featured 38 sessions geared toward social justice activism as well as over 75 exhibitors.

For more information and complete list of speakers and workshops, https://www.mnxmn.org.

#MNxMN2019  #BeyondtheVote

More Women Are Running for Office. Can Ranked-Choice Voting Help Get More Elected?

The 2018 elections saw an unprecedented number of women run for and win elected office across the United States, and at every level. A special event co-presented by FairVote Minnesota and VoteRunLead on February 24 will examine the rise in women running for office and how Ranked Choice Voting would improve the prospects of women and other underrepresented candidates.

The event, titled “Electing More Women,” will feature speakers Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan and Erin Vilardi, the co-founder and CEO of VoteRunLead, a Minnesota-founded national organization that has trained more than 30,000 women to run for office, including one-third of the women in Minnesota’s House of Representatives.

Vilardi will also be in conversation with FairVote Minnesota’s executive director, Jeanne Massey, Minneapolis City Council Member Linea Palmisano, Hennepin County Commissioner Irene Fernando and State Representative Aisha Gomez to discuss how election reforms such as Ranked-Choice Voting (RCV) can help even more women be elected to office.

Despite a record number of women running this year, women remain woefully underrepresented in elected office. Twenty years ago Minnesota had 63 women in the Minnesota State Legislature; today, we have 64. During this same time, well over half of Minnesota’s county commissions remain without a single woman and of Minnesota’s 445 county commissioners only 12 percent are women.

Ranked Choice Voting is an election reform that allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference and has led to increased representation by women and other underrepresented communities.

“Electing More Women” takes place at the Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 24. Registration is at fairvotemn.org/rsvp.

FairVote Minnesota works to better democracy through public education and advocacy. The organization’s primary focus is on Ranked Choice Voting, an electoral system that leads to greater competitiveness, better representation and more participation in elections. For further information, see FairVoteMN.org.

VoteRunLead is a nonprofit organization that trains women to run for office and win. With more than 33,000 women trained, VoteRunLead is the largest and most diverse campaign and leadership program in the country. For further information, see VoteRunLead.org

Join the Department of African American & African Studies (AA&AS) in celebrating its 50th anniversary, AFRO|50 Black Studies and Protest at the University of Minnesota and Beyond. We will kick-off this year-long series of teach-ins examining the past, present and future of Black protest, activism and community uplift starting with Teach-In 101: Understanding Our Legacy on January 29th, 9AM – 3PM at Great Hall, Coffman Memorial Union, University of Minnesota.

At this teach-in we sit down with former student and community leaders to explore the legacy of the 1969 Morrill Hall Takeover and the emergence and impact of Black studies and student activism on university and college campuses across the nation.

Program

• Featured Speaker: Dr. Horace Huntley, Morrill Hall Leader | 9AM
• Remembrance of Rosemary Freeman Massey, Morrill Hall Leader | 10:30AM
• To Build A Department | 11AM
• Lunch on your own | 12PM – 1PM
• Solidarity and Community in the Morrill Hall Takeover | 1PM
• African American, African Studies, African Diaspora Studies: Scholarship and Teaching | 1:30PM
• Black Internationalism | 2:15PM

This event is free and open to the public event. To attend, register by clicking on the link.

For more information: email aaas@umn.edu or call 612-624-9847