Statement of Solidarity from the National Urban Indian Family Coalition for our Relatives in Minneapolis

June 2, 2020

As our country deals yet again with centuries-old, state-sanctioned violence against black bodies, this time in the form of the murder of George Floyd at the knee of a Minneapolis police officer. The National Urban Indian Family Coalition (NUIFC) stands in solidarity with our Black and Indigenous relatives in Minneapolis. They have been disproportionately policed in their community for generations.

The image of MPD Officer Chauvin's knee on the neck of a Black man will stand forever as a permanent and symbolic image of American racism, savagery, and white supremacy. Callous disregard for Black and Brown bodies is woven into the very fabric of America. This officer's act triggered the ancestral pain of all people of color in the U.S., resulting in wide-scale protests as the voices of the unheard unite to call for justice. The NUIFC recognizes that the Black (and Indigenous) community in Minneapolis has suffered brutality and dehumanization at the hands of law enforcement and stands with all people in Minnesota who are protesting to demand that it stops. 

The NUIFC's membership includes a half dozen organizations providing services to the American Indian and Alaska Native community in the Twin Cities and recognizes that there are dozens more, all of whom are providing critically essential services to our relatives. The Minneapolis Native community has a long, rich, and unparalleled history of community organizing and founding the American Indian Movement (AIM) in the '60s. Today, the community remains a vigilant advocate for racial justice, not just for Native people but for all minimized, disenfranchised, and excluded communities in Minnesota and beyond.

As we write this letter of support, the community is dealing with the tragic loss of MIGIZI, a Native nonprofit providing technology education to Native youth and journalism for that community. A few nights ago, MIGIZI burned down as a byproduct of fires started on the block. We stand with our fellow urban Indian organization because each of us knows exactly how devastating the loss of a service is and how difficult it will be to rebuild. We witnessed the strength of the Native community coming together to clean up and salvage the remains of this vital organization. We encourage you to visit their website to contribute to the rebuild. Donate to MIGIZI here.

As the bright lights of fleeting media attention depart your ravaged city and community, we will continue to celebrate and support the incredibly resilient and inspiring Native community in Minneapolis. The Twin City urban Indian organizations were there at the founding of the NUIFC in 2003, and they will remain an integral part of our work for as long as we exist. Organizations that have hosted our national gatherings and taught by example how urban Indian organizations can build power. Your value nationally is without measure. You are family to all of us.

On behalf of Urban Indian organizations from across the country, representing nearly 2 million off-reservation Native citizens - most of us living in cities where disproportionate use of police force in our Black and Brown communities has been a systemic generational issue. The NUIFC, our member organizations, and our Board of Directors stand in solidarity with the Metropolitan Urban Indian Directors' statement on May 27th that strongly condemned the murder of George Floyd and demanded justice. 

Signed in Solidarity and Love by the Urban Indian Organizations below, 

National Urban Indian Family Coalition

Janeen Comenote, Executive Director, NUIFC
Staff members Rio Fernandes, Audrey Gray, Meila Davis, Michelle Boxley

NUIFC Board and Organizations

Patricia Hibbeler – CEO, Phoenix Indian Center
Ramon Vasquez – Executive Director, American Indians in Texas Spanish Colonial Missions, San Antonio, TX
Sheri Timm-Riemers – Government & Community Relations Director, Ain Dah Yung Center, St. Paul MN

NUIFC Member Centers & Affiliates