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Letter from the Publisher

Candi Broeffle
Publisher

The weekend before Memorial Day, I was busy working to make sure the June issue would get to the printer by our deadline, and was so happy to have it on its way by the end of the day Sunday. With that complete, we could enjoy a relaxing Memorial Day as a family.

The holiday would instead be marked with the murder of George Floyd, bearing witness to still more racism in America.

Like so many of you, I was sick with grief and filled with anger to see the life of a fellow human so callously taken. And the fear, so much fear. Mr. Floyd could have been my husband Michael, the man I’ve shared my life with for 32 years, who raised my son as his own, this talented artist, military veteran, avid model railroader, and a Black man, who also provides much loving care to the clients in our adult foster care.

As a white woman, I have sought throughout our marriage to understand and confront from within myself any prejudices and/or biases and to acknowledge any blind spots and remove erroneous programs. Three decades later, I’m still editing myself and learning every day.

I spent the better part of my career working at a tribal college in northern Minnesota where I learned from some of the best teachers of American Indian culture and history, including the late Dan Jones. He invited me to ask him or any other instructor of American Indian Studies any question I had, explaining that they had made a commitment to share their knowledge. He then advised me not to burden American Indian community members who had not made this same commitment with my questions because it was not their responsibility to teach me. He helped me to understand that it was my responsibility to seek the resources I needed to learn – be they books, documentaries or asking those committed to teach.

To that end, I reached out to friends who share in my desire to see the division of racism supplanted with equity for all. Because knowledge is power, we decided the first step in making this happen is to educate ourselves on the history we didn’t learn in school or seek as adults. Together, we created In Solidarity: A Learning Community, and invite you to join us on this journey. You can learn more about this in the news brief on page XX.

In the coming months we will also be highlighting the important work happening in our communities. I welcome you to share stories of individuals, organizations and businesses that are making a difference, no matter how small the contribution might appear to be. I look forward to hearing from you at [email protected].

Wishing us all freedom, peace and joy.

Candi Broeffle, Publisher

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