Becoming Denizen

“Buddha, God or the Creator is in everyone, everything and every spirit. Your actions are as consequential as a rock dropped in a lake. Those around you feel the most impact. Ripples are sent in all directions. Though those at the far ends of the lake will barely feel a change, you choose how you affect the space around you.”

I was blessed with the opportunity to spend the past year serving the Red Lake community. The Red Lake Ojibwe are a sovereign nation situated in northwest Minnesota. Language warriors, spiritual leaders and community champions envisioned a school that restored their ancestral connection to the land and cultivated the Indigenous genius in every child. They birthed Endazhi-Nitaawiging, “the place where it grows.” Their dream moved me to join the Lead For America AmeriCorps fellowship to support the school in its first-year.

My journey with Endazhi-Nitaawiging has been enlightening, heart-wrenching, humorous and deeply spiritual. I would not have made it without the support of my Lead for America family Meghan Carver, Caleb Harden, Tayton Majors, Benjamin Velani, Jackie Liang, Lily Sugimura, Faith Gronda, Anqi Yu and many more. Invaluable mentorship and cheerleading from David Bein, John Eggers, Gary Bertoline, Joshua Krause, Abby Menter, Kyle Redcross, Naveen Shankar, B Gauthier, Alice Ansusinha, Xin Du and Sean Murley kept me going. I’ve met folks in Ojibwe country that have truly changed my life and worldview: chi-miigwech to Naagaanwewidang, Ziibiins, Liz Strong, Bimwewe, Pebaamibines, Susan Ninham, Vicky Fineday, Bob Blake, and all you Red Lake kiddos! Nate Taylor, miigwech for believing in my story and sharing your wisdom with me. Sylvia Fred, miigwech for always challenging me to become a better human and relative.?

Most people in the world are not “from” the land we stand on. Yet we often act entitled to the space around us. As a guest on land that has never been ceded, I’ve come away with a call to become a responsible denizen — someone that earns the rights to inhabitant their space. One that tends to the gardens around them, shares one’s gifts without discrimination and honors those that have come before and those that will come after. It’s a call I hope others will be drawn to and a call Indigenous communities have been following since the beginning of humanity.?

I’m officially out of the nest now. No words can express my gratitude to my family for what they've had to put up with for 23 years. I’ll be moving to the East Coast, with a pitstop at James Madison University to study system dynamics modeling and policy simulation (many thanks to Raafat Zaini and Rod MacDonald for the opportunity). In the new year, you can find me at BCG in the United States capitol.?

Congratulations on making it to the end ??! I appreciate you and hope to connect in the future.?

Stay curious,

Jingogaabo

Joseph

程紀元