Part 2 — Solving Pain Points
Since the 2024 presidential election, I have thought about the rough draft of a novel I finished writing in 2017 — one that sits in the proverbial desk drawer until I have time to return to it. The premise of the story starts with an officer of Nazi Germany escaping to the U.S. and spawning an underground coalition that eventually infiltrates U.S. politics, media, and other institutions. The original vision for the novel, titled Evolve, is infused with optimism that a few basic concepts will lift communities into shared care for all.
These days, in my despairing moments, I wonder if I will need to dramatically rewrite it under the title Devolve. One of the game plans I see being executed at the global scale is to destabilize the economy so that only the wealthiest individuals can swoop in to own what no one else will be able to afford.
And yet … every week I also have the privilege of talking to people whose lives are centered around making positive change. I saw that energy personified in Winona recently. We cohosted a listening session as part of a new series, made possible by a 2025 Press Forward Minnesota grant. You will hear in this issue some of the 25 voices that gathered that weeknight at the Advocacy Center of Winona.
Anyone who has seen the collective gathering of peaceful protestors with signs, chants, and honking cars can see that powerful everyday people are capable of making joyful moments and movements together, even amidst the sorrows.
A Three-Part Magazine Series About Solutions
In March, we launched the first of a three-part magazine series. Individuals in Marshall, Grand Rapids, and Winona — as well as the Minnesota Justice Research Center — shared stories about the work they do on behalf of a changed future.
This month’s issue is Part 2 in the series. How are groups of Minnesotans, such as those in Winona, building strategies to create a healthier community for all? How is Atum Azzahir’s Cultural Wellness Center facilitating the collaborative and connective support that leads to resiliency and “the capacity to stand up against outside forces”? How are people statewide addressing child care shortages? What is Stearns County doing to reduce domestic violence?
The next step in the series is to connect like-hearted people statewide who care about housing, caregiving, gender-based violence, and ecosystems. In our September issue, we will report on those discussions — about solutions and action from participants who share the obstacles and successes others can learn from.
Our responsibility as a media platform is to showcase the best of who we are, what we want to build, and how we work to do it together.
Stay in touch with solutions and action: womenspress.com/subscribe
Table of Contents
“Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”
— Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Housing — In Winona: Where Do We Go From Here?
Child Care — Building Child Care Solutions Statewide
Collective Health — What Gives Us the Capacity to Survive?
Gender-Based Violence — How Stearns Country Addresses Domestic Violence
Thoughts — On the Fifth Anniversary of George Floyd’s Death
Travel — Traveling Through Books
For 2025 coverage, Minnesota Women’s Press earned a community leadership award, three photography awards, and four editorial awards, including for coverage of social issues and for our Spring 2025 “Know Your Rights” special section supported by Unidos MN. Our publisher was named Journalist of the Year by Violence Free Minnesota for gender-based violence coverage.
