January has been a cold and heavy month as ICE agents terrorize our people.
Thousands of us have courageously met the moment with resistance and community support.
The federal government complains about "paid protestors" but actually the resistance is not coming out of a pocketbook or cold transactions.
Federal agencies (funded by billions) - ICE, HSI, and the Border Patrol - have brought tear gas, guns, and gangs but they will never be able defeat neighborliness. Minnesota has demonstrated to the world a neighborliness that is given out of care and compassion in an ever growing network that is accompanied by careful documentation, mutual aid. and solidarity.
Minnesota writers and poets have risen to the task of conveying the intensity. In the words of Carolyn Forché, the voices gathered here in the newsletter are "incised by experience, seared by memory, awakened by what is seen and lived and ... [their] language also passes through this fire and is marked by it." Never doubt the power of the right words in the right places.
Read this unforgettable poem by Ollie Schminkey,
"10,000 Lakes"
Letter From Minnesota: 'If They Take Me and Leave the Children...'
Preparing For the Worst in the Face of ICE’s Occupation
by Kao Kalia Yang
"I write the words I believe to be true even as I know how terribly strong the arms pulling us apart are, and how love, even the most powerful kind, cannot protect, how it bears witness only, how it remembers and carries the words on, until our breaths are no more, until the homes we’ve been looking for our whole lives open their doors and invite us in..."
Why Minnesotans Fear ICE
by Bao Phi
The weight of state violence isn't abstract, it's personal, argues Minneapolis poet Bao Phi, a Vietnamese American poet, author, father, refugee, and a lifelong Minnesotan.
"We march together no matter the temperature, no matter the fear inflicted, no matter the hatred weaponized, because of our love for humanity. We love our friends and our family and our neighbors, even the ones we don’t know so well, even the ones we may on occasion disagree with. And this love makes violence and injustice unacceptable.
"I hope that the rest of the country and the world will stand with us in outrage and sadness that ultimately comes from a place of deep and unwavering love.
"When we stand together, the distance between us closes."
From the Journal
A Light in the Storm: How ISAIAH Minnesota Works for Change
by Margaret Todd Maitland
"Last night I stood on a street corner in my St. Paul neighborhood holding a candle. The night was dark and the sidewalks icy. The temperature was -10. A handful of friends and neighbors had gathered on this corner and on corners all over our cities to honor the life—and protest the death– of Alex Pretty, at the hands of ICE agents. After the shocking murder by federal agents of Renee Macklin Good a few weeks ago, we couldn’t believe it had happened again.
"Like the DAY OF TRUTH AND FREEDOM rally a few days earlier, on January 23 where a huge crowd marched through bitter cold in Minneapolis, this action was organized in part by ISAIAH Minnesota. I’ve been involved with ISAIAH for about nine months, and I am still surprised at what I’ve learned and how I’ve changed.
"On a frigid morning last December, I drove to the Minneapolis Convention Center to join 5,000 members of ISAIAH. It would be an eight-hour meeting to vote on our agenda for the coming year. ISAIAH is a community organizing coalition working to build power for a multiracial democracy, a caring economy, and a thriving planet. We would learn about the issues as well as strategies to combat authoritarianism. The title of the gathering was “A Light in the Storm.” I was excited but skeptical. What could a grassroots organization of volunteers really accomplish?"
Margaret Todd Maitland is a St. Paul writer and a member of ISAIAH through St. Mary’s Episcopal Church.
They Think
by Stanley Kusunoki
"They think that murdering us and then blaming us will silence our voices
"They think telling lies and disregarding the rule of law will keep us behind our doors
"They think that hiring undertrained thugs 'to keep the peace' will make us give in...
Other links
Northern Exposure actress Elaine Miles was detained by ICE. They told her that her tribal ID was fake.
Native tribes report that ICE is profiling people and wrongfully detaining tribe members
Red Lake Nation Passes a Resolution to Bar ICE Entry Onto Tribal Lands.
Minnesota writer and columnist Aaron Brown: "As Freedom Is Tested in Minnesota, the World Watches."
Writer, musician, and blogger Douglas Woods talking about ICE in MInnesota.
Reflecting on the General Strike against ICE in Minneapolis on January 23.
Insights about Authoritarian Tactics from Timothy Snyder
Opportunities
Ways to Help
Supporting our Community
Get involved in Grassroots Mutual Aid work in your neighborhood.
Attend Your Precinct Caucus Feb. 3
Get the Word Out!
Two of the most powerful ways for many of us Minnesota writers and other citizens to influence the behavior of our government are to register and vote in elections, and to participate in our precinct caucus.
- When:
- Tuesday, February 3, 7:00pm
Caucuses occur every even-numbered year on the first Tuesday in February. The 2026 elections in the fall will determine control of the Minnesota state government and impact policies related to the environment, gun safety, women’s rights, and many more.
But first: what are precinct caucuses?
Precinct caucuses are local meetings run by political parties. Anyone may participate if they live in the precinct, are eligible to vote in 2026 (must be at least 18 on Nov. 3), and generally support the party hosting the meeting.
By attending a caucus, you can learn about candidates for public office and influence who your party will endorse. You can bring up issues important to you that might eventually make their way into the party platform. Perhaps you will be chosen and agree to attend the district convention to represent a point-of-view. The next level of involvement would be the State convention!
Very often, anyone showing up to the caucus can become a delegate. Only a small percentage of citizens attend precinct caucuses, which means that your participation can have a large influence on the election process.
You can visit the Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State website for more information about precinct caucuses, including the location of the one you should attend, based on your political leanings and address.
Book the Vote
from National WDA
A national drive bringing together readers, writers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians to register voters
"Democracies die by foreign invasion, but they also die by homegrown authoritarian malignancies. That is happening now in the United States, and Writers for Democratic Action calls on YOU to stop it! Join us in protecting representative government with the most powerful weapon we still have: the Vote in 2026.
"WDA is launching BOOK THE VOTE, a drive to bring together readers, writers, booksellers, publishers, and librarians to register voters before the next elections. Books themselves are threatened now, which is no surprise since books have always been essential to democracy. The Bookstore and the Library can be the frontline of the campaign to rescue it."
Meet the Moment: Writers Speak Out
- When:
- Thursday, February 26, 6:00pm
- Where:
- Wussow's Concert Cafe
Duluth, MN
Featuring Stanley Kusunoki, Julie Gard, Sara Sowers-Wills, Jess Morgan, Tina Higgins Wussow, Anastasia Bamford, Ryan Vine, Jayson Iwen and Carter Meland.
Besides featured writers, we will have an open mic. Do you have a poem, a manifesto, a story that meets the moment? We have a mic!
Brave of US 30 City Midwest Tour
from Immigrant Defense Network
The Immigrant Defense Network (IDN) – based in Minnesota is a growing, statewide network of 90+ nonprofits, grassroots groups, and advocates – developing new rapid response and movement building strategies through deep collaboration and coordination.
"The Immigrant Defense Network, alongside powerful partner organizations, is launching the Brave of US 30 City Midwest Tour—a bold, urgent call to action in a moment when immigrant communities are under direct attack.
"Across the Midwest, families are living in fear, neighbors are being targeted, and our constitutional rights are being tested. In response, Brave people are rising—showing up for one another, defending their neighbors, and refusing to be silent.
"This tour will bring communities together to build collective power, grow local leadership, and train Constitution Observers who are ready to respond, protect, and act. These are not just trainings—this is a movement grounded in courage, solidarity, and shared responsibility.
"Join us. Stand with immigrant communities. Be part of a growing network committed to defending dignity, safety, and justice for all."
WDA MN Changes
WDA-Minnesota welcomes our newest steering committee member Stanley Kusunoki! Stanley Kusunoki is the author of five collections of poetry; 180 Days—Reflections and Observations of a Teacher, Items in the News, (North Star Press of St. Cloud); Shelter in Place—Poems in a Time of COVID-19, and Social Studies—Poetry as History, Ethics and Journalism, (Polaris Press —an imprint of North Star Press); and Natural Life—A Poetic Field Guide, (Nodin Press) . He is the former co-host/curator of the Literary Bridges reading series at Next Chapter Booksellers in St. Paul. Kusunoki most recently was the High Potential Coordinator at Red Oak Elementary School in Shakopee. He lives in Duluth with his wife, Claudia Daly.
Carter Meland is leaving the WDA-Minnesota in order to embrace new projects. We thank him for his work (and his warm humor) to help build our organization. Best wishes on the new endeavor!
