Dear Canadian Consulate: Your hypocrisy on Line 3 is unbecoming and dishonours the Crown

An Open Letter to Ariel Delouya, Consul General, the Canadian Consulate in Minnesota

Dear Mr. Delouya,

I recently read the letter you submitted on behalf of the Canadian Consulate in Minnesota to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission in support of the Enbridge Line 3 tar sands crude oil pipeline, specifically your support for Line 3’s revised environmental impact statement.

Given Canada’s commitment to respect the rights of First Nations peoples, it’s galling that you and your government are supporting violation of indigenous rights here in Minnesota. Your letter couches your support for Line 3 in the language of high principles, stating: “Canada is committed to renewing the relationship with lndigenous Peoples, based on the recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership.”

The position you are taking on Enbridge Line 3 fails to live up to those ideals.

Reflections on Reconciliation, Sacred Sites, and Broken Treaties

The term “reconciliation” is a deeply problematic word when it comes to indigenous-colonizer relationships. The word refers to restoring friendly relationships when for indigenous peoples, friendly relationships never existed with colonizers.

Canada had a lengthy Truth and Reconciliation Commission, something not attempted yet in the United States. We struggle with the first half of the proposition — simply telling the truth.

Growing Scrutiny of Public Art, Next Up: Edward Cornwallis

The sun is setting on the Edward Cornwallis statue.

Public art is getting long overdue scrutiny, from Confederate statues in Louisiana to historical paintings in the Minnesota State Capitol to the Scaffold sculpture controversy at the Walker Art Center. This is more than a few isolated incidents, it feels more like a movement.

This fact hit me square on while visiting Nova Scotia earlier this month. I wasn’t expecting any public art controversies, but there it was. I picked up a copy of the Globe and Mail and one of the first headlines I read said: Halifax mayor speaks out against protesters’ plan to remove Cornwallis statue. It was a familiar story:

Tensions over how Halifax honours its contentious founder are growing as a plan to topple the statue of Edward Cornwallis from a downtown park circulates on social media.

A Facebook event called “Removing Cornwallis” invites people to a protest Saturday to “peacefully remove” the large bronze statue from atop a large stone pedestal.

This is not a far-away story. This is our story, too. It’s one more facet of the Doctrine of Discovery and the European mindset towards indigenous peoples that spans our continent.

Cornwallis is controversial for the same reason that Alexander Ramsey, Minnesota’s first Governor, is controversial. Both men were agents of empire, forcing indigenous peoples from their lands. Both used brutal tactics. Cornwallis issued a proclamation promising a bounty for the scalp of every Mi’kmaq (also called Mi’kmaw, the First Nations people of Nova Scotia). Similarly, Ramsey put a bounty on Dakota scalps after the Dakota-U.S. War of 1862.

A Litany for Those Not Ready for Healing

Hundreds of people gathered tonight at Luther Seminary for a Service of Prayer and Lament honoring the life of Philando Castile. After the service, many of those attending walked a mile and a half to the intersection of Larpenter and Hoyt in Falcon Heights where Philando was shot dead by a police officer who had pulled the car over for a broken tail light.

There were many moving parts of the service. One reading in particular spoke to the fact that privileged communities too often want to  jump to an intellectual conversation about healing and reconciliation. They bypass getting in touch with the deep grief of injustice and the stories of those who have been hurt. (We have heard this challenge from Native American leaders, too.)

The reading was called “A Litany for Those Not Ready to Heal,” by Rev. Yolanda Pierce, an Afro Christian scholar. It was a beautiful reading for Philando. It also would be a profound reading for Healing Minnesota Stories to adapt for our work. Here are a few lines.

Let us not rush to the language of healing, before understanding the fullness of the injury and the depth of the wound.

Let us not run to offer a Band Aid, when the gaping wound requires surgery and complete reconstruction.

Let us not speak of reconciliation without speaking of reparations and restoration, …

Instead … let us be silent when we don’t know what to say.

Let us be humble and listen to the pain, rage, and grief pouring from the lips of our neighbors and friends ….

Click on the link above for the full text. Thank you Rev. Pierce for this wonderful reflection.