Rest Day- Duluth MN.

This is a rest day. Just biking down and up the steep hills of Duluth.

I spent a few hours at the Centre for Non-Violence / DAIP and talked with staff and read some of the latest Duluth Manual.

Gracia showed me their visitation centre which is part of DAIP. In Domestic violence cases where children are involved DAIP organizes and supervises visitations between children and non custodial parents  (mostly fathers). A father’s parenting progress is documented and his progress determines the custody court’s decision when to grant him custody. Interesting that the child protection is less involved than in Ontario in domestic violence cases.

Then I met Sarah and Tina at Mending the Sacred Hoop program which is also part of the Centre for Non Violence.  We spoke of the multi-generational effects of colonization and the ongoing attempts to make Native American women invisible. Non Natives still often do not recognize them beyond their race, color of their skin and attributes they have constructed around them. Therefore the justice system continues to ignore violence against Native American women more than against Non Native women.  Extreme poverty, lack of education on Native history, poor housing, generations of sexual abuse put Native women at exceptional risk for violence and continued trauma. A recent study in Minnesota showed that 92% of Native American women involved in sex trade had been raped as children and continued to experience racism.

We had a long discussion about what needs to change:
-Address racism at all levels
-Hold communities and institutions accountable for any form of racism and oppression
-Make Native American women visible by listening to their stories…

You may know where you are but you still may not see where you are going.

I did a few interviews as well:

Here are the links:
http://www.northlandsnewscenter.com/lifestyle/Man-Cycles-3000-Miles-to-End-the-Cycle-of-Domestic-Violence-214430021.html

http://www.fox21online.com/news/article/man-bikes-3000-miles-domestic-violence-awareness