OUTREACH
JUSTICE and EQUITY
EASTER LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Did you know that Easter buildings are on native Dakota land? At our annual meeting in April 2023, we voted to adopt a land acknowledgment to recognize the injustices of the past and present and pledge to honor and respect this sacred land and the tribal nations around us.
Curious about the process? Read Feb 1, 2023 Carry On Blog
Be it resolved that:
We at Easter Lutheran Church acknowledge that we gather and worship on Dakota homeland, near the sacred gathering and burial site called “Oheyawahi” (O-He-Ya-Wa-He -” a place much visited”) also known as Pilot Knob, near “Bdote Mni Sota”, where the Minnesota and Mississippi Rivers come together, the center of creation for the Dakota people. Easter Lutheran specifically sits on the site of the ancestral Mdewakanton land led by Black Dog in the 1800’s. We acknowledge this homeland was taken from the Dakota people through intentional governmental policy, settler colonization and violence. We realize that this has resulted in lasting emotional, social, cultural, spiritual, and physical harm and we recognize that the white Christian church, of which we are a part, has often been complicit -either actively or silently- in this exploitation.
We honor with gratitude the generations of Indigenous people who have been and continue to be stewards of this land. We look to Native American communities and leaders as examples of resilience, grace, resistance, and strength. Given the deep significance of this sacred ground, as well as its painful history, we recognize our responsibility to respect and honor this land and the people in all that we do. As a congregation, we commit ourselves to pray, to listen, and to learn about past and present injustices and our role in them. We will actively work to deepen our ties with the Dakota and other tribal nations to bring about justice, peace and reconciliation, especially in Mni Sota.
Discover Dakota History -
Discover Dakota History -
Have you ever wondered what was here beneath you? Right here in Minneapolis, the land speaks.
Can the land speak—and if we listen, what might we hear? Together, we’ll explore how the histories held in the neighborhood lands between the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers have shaped our shared life today. Embedded in the rock and soil are traces of what has lived, moved, and changed over billions of years, as well as more recent human stories: Who has called this place home? Who has been welcomed, excluded, or displaced? How have these realities shaped us—and how might they guide us toward living in harmony with one another and the Earth, our common home?
All are welcome. Events are free; no sign-up required.
Click the button for session information.
Visit an Art Exhibit
Hocokata Ti cultural center in Shakopee Mdewakanton: Dwellers of the Spirit Lake hocokatati.org
Dyani White Hawk - Exhibit at Walker Art Center through February 15, 2026
Two-spirit artists bloom - Exhibit at Minnesota Museum of American Art St Paul through August 16, 2026
Read a book
Visit Birchbark Books in Minneapolis
Learn more about the ELCA Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery
Doctrine of Discovery
The Doctrine of Discovery provided legal justification for colonization and seizure of land not inhabited by Christians. Learn more by watching the video from the Mennonite Church below. What’s the role of our churches today? The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), of which Easter is a member congregation, has repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery.
Resources:
EASTER’S WORK FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
We are committed to the lifelong work of better understanding and addressing the systems of racism and white privilege that shape attitudes, perspectives, and relationships within our households and faith communities, and diminish our national and global work as a church.
Some come to this initiative out of years of deep investment in the work of being an antiracist. Others find themselves being beckoned for the first time into a new awareness and learning. As proclaimed in the St. Paul Area Synod’s statement of purpose, “We are not there yet. We are on the way together.”
Commit yourself to this journey with Easter, the SPAS, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Together, we will work to educate ourselves, build relationships, look inward, and promote equity. Click the links below to commit to the ELCA Anti-Racism Pledge and the SPAS’s Road Toward Racial Justice.
RACIAL JUSTICE: WHERE ARE WE AND HOW DID WE GET HERE?
WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR?
Listen to our neighbors of color and learn how they have experienced life as a person of color. In the videos, four guest speakers from our community share stories of their lives and hopes.
INTERESTED IN MORE RESOURCES ABOUT RACIAL JUSTICE?
Contact Rhonda Doran at rdoran@easter.org