by Shubhanjana Das at Sahan Journal

Citing the traditional Indigenous role as “stewards of the Earth,” the Red Lake Nation Embassy in Minneapolis’ Little Earth neighborhood hosted an Electric Vehicle Social on Friday, inviting the Native community to learn more about electric vehicles and EV charging stations.

People came and went throughout Friday’s open house event, which was held at the Red Lake Nation Embassy on Cedar Avenue in Minneapolis.

One sponsor was Robert Blake, a tribal citizen of the Red Lake Nation and executive director of Native Sun Community Power Development, a Minneapolis nonprofit that promotes renewable energy in the Midwest. Blake stressed the importance of bringing affordable transportation to Indigenous communities and spoke about the benefits — environmental and financial — of electric vehicles.

“You fill up your car for $50,” he added. “You’re probably going to be paying about 15 bucks to fill up your electric vehicle.”

As part of its initiative to encourage transition to electric vehicles, Native Sun Community Power Development will install a DC electric fast charger at the embassy by the end of this year.

As with any public charger, users will pay to charge their vehicles. All proceeds will go to support the embassy’s energy efficiency work in the community.  

Blake is also spearheading a five-state Native-led project called Electric Nation that is using a federal grant from the Department of Energy to deploy charging stations and free electric vehicles throughout tribal country in Minnesota and North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin and Michigan.A Volkswagen electric bus, set to be donated to the Red Lake Nation Youth Shelter, was showcased at Friday’s event.

This event was part of the embassy’s first open house since a mass shooting in May killed six people and injured two others in one of the country’s largest urban Indigenous communities.

“This is an opportunity for our people to move on in a positive way,” Strong said.