Earlier this month Indian Country Today, a national daily newspaper, featured an historical analysis of the sexual exploitation of Native American girls and women. The story, and the pattern, is chilling enough as it is, but the story is framed in and around Duluth, making it all the more compelling. This is an excellent piece of advocacy journalism by Mary Annette Pember.
Here’s an excerpt that puts a very human face on the problem.
Mary, Ojibwe, is a grandmotherly figure wearing a shapeless, colorful flowered dress. She meets me at the door of her little house and escorts me into her sun-drenched living room. Pleasantly cluttered with photographs, the room is not unlike those of many of my relatives. We sit down to chat, and I make a mental note that she seems an unlikely figure to tell such a powerful story of going from boat whore to survivor to activist. I feel at home here in her cozy house that overlooks the bright, clear waters of Gichigami (Lake Superior) and find it vaguely disturbing that she seems so familiar. I see that, like me, she is a sister, an Anishinaabe-ikwe and a survivor.
Mary, now 51, tells me that like her mother, she worked the boats and was trafficked into prostitution. Mary says she and her 21 siblings were all conceived through her mother’s liaisons with seamen, but her entry into “the life” was an accident. At the age of 15, she was broke and homeless, standing on the street with a girlfriend in Duluth when a Pakistani man approached them. “He was nice to us, telling us about his country. He invited us on board his boat and hailed a taxi. That was the first time I had ever ridden in a taxi,” she recalls.
Thus began her life on the boats
Sure this is difficult to read, and it’s heartbreaking, but I’m hoping that if we talk enough about the problem, admit that it is real and engage the many possible solutions that wise people are putting forward, then something will eventually change. We need to stop ignoring that this happens, blaming the victims, and/or insisting that the sex trade is a “victimless” crime.
I have an early appointment in the Big Cities on Friday. Have any of you made a run to St. Paul within the past week? If so — how much more time should I budget in with construction being what it is? I’m sure the drive back up late Friday afternoon will be lovely. Serenity now!
We are having a rough time with Minnesota Care, and we need to appeal a decision they’ve made. It’s a big decision — a decision that has set a pretty bad precedent concerning Minnesota Care and PCIP — and we’d feel better making our argument with a lawyer on our side. Long story short, does anyone know a good lawyer who might have some experience dealing with medical insurance?
(UPDATE) Sold! Thanks, Emily. I hope you have a long and wilderness-filled life together.
This 16′ Grumman aluminum canoe has been in my family since my parents bought it new in 1976. But, it has been following me around unused for many years, and it’s time to let it go. Special PDD price of $300! Email me at thomdonaldson (at) gmail.com.
The above shot of Rice’s Point is from the Cliff’s Barber Shop Collection. It is from early 1962, as near as I can figure, making it 50 years old. The new Blatnik Bridge (at right) appears to be not quite completed in the photo, and the old swing-span Interstate Bridge seems to still be in use.
This modern-day shot is from April of 2011. I didn’t shoot it intending to get a comparable shot to the one above. It’s an interesting coincidence. A few hours after I acquired Cliff Johnson’s slides, but before I looked at any of them, I went for a hike on Goat Hill and shot this photo. Later in the day I borrowed my parent’s slide projector and saw Cliff took a very similar shot back in the day. Weird.
On May 1, Zach Chase and Kris McNeal set off on their bicycles to circle the Great Lakes. It’s a trip that will take 90 days and span close to 6,000 miles. They are filming along the way and will produce a feature length documentary about the communities surrounding the Great Lakes and the importance of the natural beauty in our backyard. Check out the journal they have been keeping along the way.
“Duluth was trying to develop another economy with technology, like hundreds of others tried,” Link said. “It failed everywhere, not just Duluth.” – J.R. “Rob” Link DNT
It did not fail everywhere. Stupid failed.
We don’t get to be the Galactic Seaport Gateway Harbor to the internets anymore just because we paid some Swedish shysters moneys?? Opportunistic bandwagoneers. What makes this so frustrating is 11 years ago, the same sorts of people (the Dotys, the developers, the councilpersons, the Soft Center representatives [PDF]) were cheerleading and saying exactly the opposite. And it was as obviously /Facepalm then as it appears today.
With the Duluth East Daredevils robotics team again going to nationals this year and high school robotics teams now also at Denfeld and Marshall, how can kids get started in robotics before high school?
There are some summer camps for kids that focus on technology:
It’s sort of like the Swiss Family Robinson in reverse. A family with two small girls live aboard their sailboat in the Great Lakes and Atlantic for a year. The book release of “Big Waves, Small Boat, Two Kids” by area writer Katya Gordon is this Thursday at the Fitger’s Bookstore.
Area writers and performers converge on the Teatro on Friday for another edition of Zenith City Tales with the story telling theme being about education this time around.
So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know!
I sometimes wonder if people who have moved to Minnesota from outside the Midwest maybe eight years ago hear army worm stories and think it’s a figment of folklore, like the hoop snake. They will be in for a surprise.
There is a lost or abandoned little cub in the Arrowhead/Swan Lake Road area. If you spot him, call Kelly asap at 218-591-2967, while not letting him out of your sight. Kelly and a vet will come out immediately to dart and catch him. We need to catch this guy soon; he’s tiny and has been without mom for more than 24 hours; he won’t survive for much longer without help. Thanks!
As a Harbor City Roller Dame, it baffles me that we are yet to reach our goal of selling out tickets at the DECC Pioneer Hall since playing there the Fall of 2010. Many skaters are involved in or support the local arts and music scene. We are professionals that live and work in this community. The Dames give back by selecting a local charity to receive a financial contribution and/or volunteer our time. So it begs me to ask: Why is roller derby not as popular or successful in Duluth as it is in say Minneapolis or even smaller towns like Grand Rapids, MN?
Larger cities support multiple teams and are still successful. While locally we’ve seen numbers fall in the last year as our competitiveness has enhanced (we were undefeated until last month’s bout). Roller derby continues to gain popularity across the nation but is slightly stunted here. We need our fans to show their continued support and find ways to reach other demographics to spread the love of derby in Duluth. Our performance is bolstered by the encouragement of our sports enthusiasts.
Does the PDD community have any thoughts on what we can do to fill our seats? Comments? Feedback?
I am interested in booking some bands into my bar (Classic Hard Times Saloon in Bemidji). We hire bands from the Minneapolis area and fill in with a lot of great local bands. I would like to get a new mix, so if anyone is looking for a gig or knows someone who is, contact us on Facebook. Shoot us a clip of your band and or some music. All genres welcome.
There are 50 million users on Instagram but there are no Perfect Duluth Day hashtags? Duluth iger’s, you need to get on this. It’d be a great place to curate creative shots of D-town.
Last night I set my hammock underneath a footbridge in Tischer Creek to sleep over trickling water and under a starry sky. Using LED lights I lit the water and the hammock and came out with this time lapse. I hope to try this again but with different camera settings so I can capture star traces in the sky.
Lincoln Park’s Fair Food Access project has been chosen as a national finalist for a Facebook voting campaign called “Cause an Effect,” through State Farm Insurance. Ten clicks of your mouse could mean $25,000 for this project. Voting ends at midnight tonight, May 17. Use your Facebook time for good — follow this direct link to vote. Continue Reading
This is the last of four videos in the PDD Shift series. This profiles Dan Neff, who happens to be one of the winners of the Greater Downtown Council’s Go Downtown / Grow Downtown contest from last year. At the end of this month Dan is opening a new store, Lake Superior Art Glass, at 202 East Superior Street. The shop will feature classes, various glass artwork, as well as front window demos.
Artists and designers — especially those with a special love for the outdoors or horses — are needed to help a new Duluth area trail-building group develop a logo. The Duluth Area Horse Trail Alliance is holding a logo contest that will be the centerpiece of its promotional campaigns. Continue Reading
Thanks to photos from the Duluth Shipping News’ “bear cam” and an audio clip of Ryan Beamer, chief Aerial Lift Bridge operator, PDD now presents this delightful 12-second recap of yesterday’s events at the South Pier of the Duluth shipping canal.
We’re looking for someone who can hang two solid oak doors, including cutting out the hole for the handle and notching out for the hinges. We’re looking for someone with experience as with these doors they will definitely have to measure twice and cut once, because there will be no going back if cut wrong.
