On June 3, my wife, Chris and I brought our kids — Bella, Dalylah, Phoenix-Rose, and Xiana — to 38th & Chicago.
We wanted to mourn, reflect and protest the murder of George Floyd and so many others. Chris and I have been lifelong activists — delivering supplies to Standing Rock, participating in #notyourmascot protests, and working for treaty rights efforts just to name a few. We talk openly about our experiences with our daughters and the reasons it’s so important to give your voice and support to a cause.
With our girls in tow, this visit felt different. It felt more powerful.
Maybe it’s because we were surrounded by others who were doing to same thing or maybe because in this instance, the roles between our daughters and us had balanced out. The girls were leading us just as much as we were leading them.
A focal point of 38th & Chicago is a beautiful hand painted mural. We started there. As we walked up to get a closer look, we became consumed by our surroundings. “No Justice, No Peace” chants could be heard in the crowds followed by, “I Can’t Breathe,” referencing some of the final words that Mr. Floyd spoke the day he was murdered at the hands of Minneapolis officers.
The mural that features Mr. Floyd’s name and picture, also features a sunflower with the names of others who have been killed by police over the years. Names like Philando Castile, Breanna Taylor and Jamar Clark, Michael Brown and Eric Garner. I read an article that featured a quote from Xena Goldman, one of the mural artists where she said, “the fact that we couldn’t come close to fitting all the names in the sunflower is a testament to the fact that it’s been going on for way too long.”
For centuries in this country, Black and Indigenous communities have endured the ugly reality of racism, and the weight of that hatred at times is enough to take our breath away.
Our girls then led us to the opposite side of the street where they started to see the crowd separate and gather near a stage – on the stage speaking to the crowd was longtime civil rights activist, Reverend Jesse Jackson. We all took something different out of the words he spoke that day. It was so impactful to see him deliver a message of peace, presence and justice during a time when that was lost. His words got me thinking about the concept of “Onlyness” and how the unrest in Minneapolis is powerful enough to dent the world.
Last year, I spoke at our National Leadership Development Conference about the concept of “Onlyness.” Nilofer Merchant – one of the top ranked business thinkers – wrote a brilliant book about how “Onlyness” shapes our ideas of who we think we are, and how we want to be seen or are seen by others.
She says that at the intersection of power and opportunity lies “Onlyness.” It’s a way for anyone and perhaps everyone to count and make a difference with ideas powerful enough to dent the world.
Ideas come from that spot in the world only you stand in, which is a function of your history and experience, visions and hopes. Her argument was each of us has something that only each of us can offer, that when connected using networks — not hierarchical constructs — that when connected can now scale in a way that we’ve never had before.
That is happening now.
Peaceful Protesters — here and abroad — are rallying against injustice, fighting for reform and hoping for a change in culture.
Nilofer shares that each of us has the potential to be a change maker, owning the narrative power of our wild idea. But we must understand that we cannot do it alone. We need to use our allies to help change our industry and our work, and we must allow ourselves to unlock a level of capacity we may not have ever seen before.
Beyond the political change that needs to take place, what ideas do you have to create a more equitable society? You can even start right in your own community.
Currently, we are the only active tribal 8(a) company in Minnesota that has secured this status — and we are part of a very limited group of tribes across the nation.
Last year when we were building our business plans, we never imagined that a threat and opportunity we had to prepare for on our SWOT analysis had to be a global pandemic. We also never imagined reopening our businesses back up during an active pandemic at a time when the economy is reeling, and consumer confidence is low. However, by reimagining our plans, we believe we are coming back stronger. This isn’t a new normal. This is a next normal.
The gaming portfolio had an impressive start during the first five months of Fiscal Year 2020. The casino floors were stabilized in late 2019 after completion of the much-needed property improvement plans (PIP) at each property. Prior to the pandemic, key metrics projected from the PIP completion were being realized – we were up significantly over prior year in both revenue and EBITDA.
The number of business disruptions from COVID are happening industry-wide. We join other companies who have had to temporarily pause any new initiatives and reevaluate strategies moving forward. The upside to this closure is that it afforded us the opportunity to make significant changes so that we can make our way back on the path we were headed. I am proud of our Associates and businesses in how quickly they have responded to this operating environment.
While much of corporate America has been affected by Covid-19, small businesses have been especially hard-hit. Our small businesses were no exception. We searched for opportunities for our small businesses and found funding opportunities through the Small Business Administration and sent in applications for our small businesses.
This memorandum expresses the views of the author as of the date listed, such views are subject to change without notice. Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures makes no representation, and it should not be assumed, that past business performance is an indication of future results.
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At MLCV, we are committed to improving the lives of Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe Members — and community members in the regions where we do business. Across our portfolio, you’ll find opportunities to drive economic and community growth to build lasting impact.
