MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota should take action to atone for nearly two centuries of abuses that continue to harm Indigenous people, researchers argue in a new report released this week.
The report from the TRUTH Project is thought to be the first to examine the university's history primarily from the perspectives of Indigenous people, whose ancestors lived on the land seized to build the U.
The 554-page document aims to reframe how Minnesotans view the university, describing it not as a land-grant institution, but as a "land grab" system that profited by trying to erase Indigenous people. The impacts of those actions are still felt today, researchers say, noting that Indigenous Minnesotans continue to face housing insecurity, poverty and educational barriers at a disproportionate rate.
