Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
17 Unique Stations from Border to Border
Special Editions | documentaries and special reports
Native Lights | stories of people within Minnesota’s Native communities
This week on Minnesota Native News: the national Environmental Protection Agency has its say in the state’s environmental review of two proposed oil pipelines, state officials float a new policy to protect wild rice, and the Minnesota-based movie “Rez Comedy” is in its final stages.
The White Earth Band of Ojibwe has secured roughly 2 million dollars from the state of Minnesota to buy and conserve land near the reservation. The grant comes after two long years of wrangling with state legislators amidst cries of unequal treatment and racism. Reporter Melissa Townsend looks back at the process and gives us the details of the final deal.
The national opioid drug abuse crisis is hitting Minnesota American Indian communities especially hard. In 2015, Minnesota had more American Indians dying from overdoses than any – other -state. That same year, 70-percent of pregnant Native women gave birth to babies dependent on opioids. And many Natives are conflicted over how to find the red road in the current crisis. Melissa Townsend reports.
To hear a full hour on this topic, including stories of healing and recovery, visit Minnesota Native News on Facebook.
For over a decade, the prescription pain killer and heroin abuse crisis has had a hold on communities across the U-S. Opioid overdoses tripled between 2000 and 2015.
In 2015, Minnesota had more American Indians dying from overdoses than any other state. That same year, well over half of pregnant Native women gave birth to babies with opioids in their systems.
Many American Indians in Minnesota are wrestling with how best to help people heal from the addiction and the historical trauma at the root of this crisis.
Over this hour, reporter Melissa Townsend explores the unique nature of addiction in Native communities, and how it is – or is not – shaping a response to the current crisis.
