Discover how issues of sexual assault and violence—which the #MeToo movement has worked to shed light on since 2006—resonate throughout Minnesota history. This small exhibit in the Irvine Gallery aims to highlight unrepresentative narratives by examining the stories of several Minnesota women, past and present, including:
- Rachel: an enslaved woman who lived at Fort Snelling and successfully sued for her freedom in 1836 while also facing sexual violence in Minnesota Territory
- Carolen Bailey: a St. Paul police officer from 1961-1991 who worked on issues of sexual assault, domestic violence, and prostitution in the Twin Cities
- Martha Boesing: founding artistic director of At the Foot of the Mountain Theater, which was created in 1976 by a group of feminist artists and worked to address sexual assault in its productions
- Cece McDonald: an African American transwoman and activist, whose murder trial made national news in 2011 after she defended herself and friends from assailants at a Minneapolis bar
- Ivette Izea-Martinez: a first-generation immigrant from Venezuela, she serves as co-director of family advocacy and community engagement at Casa de Esperanza, which addresses domestic violence in the Latino community
This exhibit will be on display in the History Center’s Irvine Gallery on the first floor and is free to the public.
We at Casa de Esperanza are excited and honored to announce that musical group Bon Iver has chosen our organization to be the local partner for their October 3rd concert at the Xcel Energy Center! Through their philanthropic arm, 2 A Billion, Bon Iver will be donating all the proceeds for an online auction to support Casa de Esperanza.
