Equity & Capacity
Violence Free Minnesota works to dismantle oppression, advance racial justice, and promote equity to end relationship abuse and create violence free communities. We are committed to creating a more just and equitable world by partnering with our membership to address systemic oppression statewide. We work to build our member programs’ capacity by providing tools, resources, and support so they can reach their organizational goals and provide more inclusive, just, and comprehensive services.
Women of Color and Native Women’s Leadership Project
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The Women of Color and Native Women’s Leadership Project was formed through the hard work of the Women of Color and Native Women’s Task Force in 2007. In summer 2009, the Women of Color and Native Women’s (WOCNW) Leadership Council was formed to advise the execution of the Leadership Project. The Council consists of advocates and victim/survivors from a variety of cultures and geographic areas across the state. Over the years, the work and activities of the Council and Leadership Project have included workshops and trainings, networking, formalized mentoring and support, and identifying and developing organizational assessment and conflict resolution tools. The project is currently undergoing redevelopment in order to provide the most equitable experience for all advocates of color.
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MAPS - Minnesota Accessing Paths to Safety (MAPS) Tool Assessment
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MAPS was a collaborative of four statewide organizations that worked to ensure American Indian women victim/survivors with disabilities had authentic and meaningful access to sexual assault, domestic violence, and disability service providers. As a group, MAPS influenced public policy; created awareness in the public sector around issues of trafficking, tribal sovereignty, forensic exams, and child sexual abuse; and provided cross training within their organizations on the intersections of identity, disability, and relationship violence.
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MAPS Partner Organizations:
Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition (MIWSAC)
Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA)
Minnesota Disability Law Center (DLC)
Violence Free Minnesota [formerly Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women (MCBW)]
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Manidoowaadiziwag Ikwewag (Women Are Sacred)
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Manidoowaadiziwag Ikwewag (Women Are Sacred) is an education and training tool that chronicles the first-hand stories of American Indian women survivors of sexual violence and domestic abuse with disabilities from the White Earth Nation. The film highlights the work of the Minnesota Accessing Paths to Safety Project (MAPS) and chronicles the victim/survivors' history and tradition, the impact of historical trauma and intergenerational grief, and resources available for survivors on and around the reservation.