In years past Honor the Earth was able to host an annual gala event at Bayfront Festival Park to raise grant funding for native organizations. In May of this year, undaunted by the challenges of a pandemic, two of the Honor the Earth cofounders, Winona LaDuke, and Amy Ray and Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls, staged an online music event that raised $230,000 of grant money that will be awarded to 50 native organizations around the U.S. and Canada. Among the grantees in Minnesota are the Urban Roots/American Family Center in St. Paul; Division of Indian Work in Minneapolis; Four Seasons Cultural Camps in Cloquet; White Clay Industries in Naytahwaush; Bois Forte Food Sovereignty and Sustainable Agriculture in Eveleth; and Ogema Organics, White Earth Land Recovery Project, and Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute in Callaway.
KUMD talks with Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth, about the great success they achieved in 2020 despite the inability to have their usual grand outdoor gathering.
