Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
Today Leah and Cole chat with Audrianna Goodwin, a Red Lake Nation citizen and part of the core research team for the TRUTH Project where she has been appointed tribal research fellow for Red Lake Nation. Audrianna shares her outlook as a ‘dreamer’ and how family and community helped her along her path. She explains her TRUTH Project research that examines medical research done to Red Lake children by the University of Minnesota and how Indigenous-led research is vital to healing and recognition
The Towards Recognition and University-Tribal Healing (TRUTH) project has released a report detailing the “persistent, systemic mistreatment” of Indigenous people by the University of Minnesota. As a land grab/grant university, the U of MN received stolen land as investment capitol from the US Government through the Morrill Act in 1862. The TRUTH project looks at different points of history within the U of MN and how it affected Native people, with input and research from the 11 Tribal nations in Minnesota
This is the second episode of a series with some of the leaders of the TRUTH research project: Listen to our interview with Misty Blue.
Find out more about the TRUTH project: https://mn.gov/indian-affairs/truth-project/
For more about the TRUTH project, listen to our sister program Counter Stories and check back to Minnesota Native News
In a statement to MN Native News, the University of Minnesota said “In recent years the University has committed to acknowledging the past and doing the necessary work to begin rebuilding and strengthening relationships with Tribal Nations and Native people. Openly receiving this report is another step toward honoring that commitment. While documenting the past, the TRUTH Report also provides guidance as to how the University can solidify lasting relationships with Tribes and Indigenous peoples built on respect, open communication and action. As we engage in the important discussions that will now follow, that guidance will be invaluable.”
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.
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More from Native Lights
- Bradley Harrington: The United States 250th Anniversary from an Anishinaabe Perspective
On this episode Leah and Cole speak with Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe citizen Bradley Harrington who recently penned an article in the Mille Lacs Band newspaper, Ojibwe Inaajimowin, about 250 years of US occupation as the country marks the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. - Dr. Samantha Majhor: The Story Collector
Today, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Samantha Majhor to Native Lights. Samantha is a direct descendant of Fort Peck. She’s Dakota and Assiniboine and is an assistant professor in American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota. She focuses on Native American literature, particularly literature by Dakota and Ojibwe writers around the Great Lakes region. - Aleyna Morales: Baking and Believing in Herself
Today, we’re speaking with Aleyna Morales. Aleyna grew up in the Twin Cities and Somerset, Wisconsin. Aleyna’s heritage includes Ojibwe from the Fond du Lac Band community and Mexican. She is the creator and baker behind Baked to Bliss by Laney. You can catch her selling baked goods at the Carlton County Farmers Market.
TRUTH Report Narrates University of Minnesota’s Historic Exploitation, Outlines Path To Healing