History, trust and the path to inclusion in St. James

In the southwest Minnesota town of St. James, a new chapter is unfolding. To help enrich their story, the community founded Uniendo Culturas (Uniting Cultures). The organization is dedicated to fostering connections among residents to learn and grow, ensuring that each voice contributes to the collective story. 

“I think for a while, St. James had two large populations - the white population and the Latino population, and we were kind of coexisting in the space but in parallel universes,” says Pat Branstad, a St. James resident and Uniendo Culturas co-founder. 

Once a town mainly populated by white European descendants, St. James is now nearly 40% Latino. In 2017, Branstad was part of a well-attended public forum that discussed race in St. James. She says the conversation proved to be a turning point for herself and many others. 

“I used to think I knew everyone in St. James, but that’s when I realized I only knew the white people here,” she recalls. “The event didn’t have a goal of solving a problem. It was just bringing people together to share and listen. In the end, the feedback was, ‘This was good. We need to do more.’”

Uniendo Culturas was born out of that need. As a long-term partner, the University of Minnesota Extension’s Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships (RSDP) are proud to support the community-founded movement and efforts. Today, Uniendo Culturas is well known in St. James, hosting an annual multicultural fiesta, cultural cuisine nights, immigration panels and more. 

The organization even published a book highlighting family immigration stories told from the perspectives of new and lifelong residents. A digital copy of the book is available in Spanish and English. Branstad says the project was a great success. 

“After that, a few people said, ‘Well, we should just publish more books.’ But there were others saying, ‘Let’s take a moment to think about what we learned here,’” she says. “We asked ourselves, ‘Whose voices are not included in that book?’”

Indigenous expertise 

When it came time for AJ Vizenor to choose a college, it was a decision of practicality. 

“I chose the University of Minnesota Morris mostly because of the tuition waiver,” she recalls. As a matter of federal law, the University of Minnesota Morris extends free tuition to Native American students.

“It was a very realistic option for me,” says Vizenor, an Anishinaabe woman from White Earth Nation. “It was a great opportunity to get my education without having to go too far into debt.”

Vizenor has spent the years since making the most of her time in school. In June 2024, she graduated with a double major in history and Native American studies, as well as a minor in political science. Thanks in part to a student position at the Center for Small Towns, supported by Southwest RSDP, Vizenor says she left Morris with more than her degree.

“When I read through the position description for the Uniting Cultures job, I realized it was right up my alley!” recalls Vizenor. “I thought it was just a great opportunity to be able to put into practice what I've been learning all these years.”

The opportunity was a semester-long role as a researcher with Uniendo Culturas in St. James. While Uniendo Culturas had been focused on embracing the story of the new St. James, there was also an awareness that voices from the longest-present communities were missing.

“Before Europeans immigrated to St. James and long before Latino communities arrived, the land was originally home to the Dakota people,” says Anne Dybsetter, RSDP’s southwest executive director. “Vizenor and another student researcher were brought on to help Uniendo Culturas understand how to respectfully and meaningfully invite the Dakota people into this work.”

Learning from history

Supported by Southwest RSDP and the Center for Small Towns, and working closely with Pat Branstad, Vizenor and her fellow student researcher set out to conduct background research and develop a plan of action. As an Indigenous woman, Vizenor says she felt a responsibility to approach the project with deliberate, respectful steps. 

“We did a good amount of research into the history of the land in St. James. Looking at treaty history, as well as Dakota history. It is important for us to have that information,” she says. “Especially with the Dakota, given that at one point, they were forced out of Minnesota and forced off the land.” 

Vizneor notes that today, Dakota people are present in the region, but there’s a lack of documented history about their past in St. James. 

“The research was a mixed bag of taxing and frustrating, which can be the experience of studying Native American history in general,” says Vizenor. “But it's also important work and very illuminating.”

After gathering information, the two student researchers crafted culturally relevant questions that could be used for interviewing local elders. They hoped to sit down with Dakota elders, ask about their personal histories and document their stories. 

“Sadly, we did not get to do any oral interviews,” shares Vizneor.

The Dakota elders they approached declined to take part in the project. Vizneor believes that may have been, in part, due to difficult historic truths and a resulting lack of trust. 

“We had a meeting with RSDP and got good advice from one of the members who is Dakota,” recalls Vizneor. “She reminded us that there is often a disconnect between the University and Native communities due to a history of actions against Indigenous peoples. There's a lack of trust, and there can be a lack of willingness to work with us. And that’s completely understandable.”

With a new understanding, Vizneor and her research partner advised that Uniendo Culturas pause the story-gathering process and instead focus on building trust and seeking guidance from those within the Dakota community. 

“There really weren't any Dakota voices on this project, and I knew it was important to have that perspective,” shares Vizneor. “Because it's so easy to perpetuate harmful ideas without even realizing it, even when you have the best intentions.”

Dybsetter agrees, saying, “This project has taught us much, and we hope that other non-Indigenous groups can learn from this, too.” She says that in many ways, RSDP considers this portion of this larger project to be a success. 

“The student researchers were brought on to help Uniendo Culturas understand how to respectfully engage the Dakota people, and we’re grateful for their work on that. Now, the organization is seeking to move forward through connections with Native and Indigenous partners in a more self-aware way.”

To that end, Uniendo Culturas is currently looking for mutually beneficial opportunities to invite Dakota community members to the team. Thanks in part to Vizenor’s research, Branstad says the organization understands that how that happens is more important than when. 

“A lot of what the research team gathered and shared with the Uniting Cultures made it clear, we need more time,” says Branstad. “It’s important we do it right.”

While Vizenor’s student research assistantship has come to an end, she too hopes others can learn from her journey.  

“I personally didn’t know a lot about Dakota history before going into this project. I knew Anishinaabe history, but not Dakota,” she says. “It’s vital that people take time to educate themselves on the Indigenous populations of their state and the things that have taken place there. It doesn't take a lot of effort, but it can inform the way you think and change the way you see things.”