Reparation

"What do you do when an egregious crime has been committed? How do you right a wrong? Minnesota can do that with the Dakota: Make reparations."

The only compensation for land is land, and the Dakota have less than 3200 acres in Minnesota, compared to the millions of acres of their ancestors. Two million acres of Dakota land were seized under the 1862 Morrill Act, coinciding with the Dakota Uprising, and the genocide against the Dakota. That land provided the foundation for many universities, not just Minnesota colleges, but ultimately was a complete theft and violation of the treaties. Taking Down the Fort refers to the mentality which values the military history, the history of genocide more than the history of the land and the people who live here. There is no honor in the history of Ft. Tim Walz came to Mankato to acknowledge the wrongdoing of the state of Minnesota to the Dakota. Waziyatawin is a Dakota scholar who talks about reparations in What does Justice Look Like, calling for a Truth Commission, a Take Down the Fort Program, and Land Restoration. The hanging of the Dakota 38 in Mankato on Dec. Between the Dakota 1l862 forced removal and the Navajo Long March of 1862, American generals committed egregious acts against defenseless people, and stole their land, their lives and attempted to destroy their future. We expect more of him and the Legislature of Minnesota. It’s time for reparations in the form of land. This was the 160th anniversary of the largest mass hanging in U.S.