Being The Right Best Person: A Conversation with Donna Mae in Minneapolis

This week, we spoke with Donna Mae, a longtime resident of Minneapolis and registered nurse working mostly with people who are unsheltered and use injection drugs. Donna lives in a neighborhood of the city that has had very heavy ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) activity and speaks for the hour about the last two months of invasion, organizing with neighbors, the legacy of the George Floyd Uprising and the aftermath of the murders of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, the recent General Strike and lessons for preparing in the next incursion, wherever that may be.

Some links for support

• Fundraiser for folks in the Phillips neighborhood: https://gofund.me/0ba86917d
• Southside Harm Reduction Services: https://shrs.org/get-involved/donate/
• Minneapolis Indian Women's Resource Center: https://miwrc.salsalabs.org/miwrcgeneraloperations/index.html

Additional Links

Facial Recognition Tech Used in Minneapolis to Target Protestors:

• in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jan/27/ice-facial-recognition-minnesota
• in Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/01/29/ice-tracking-tools-protesters-00755703

Rojava Updates Podcast Release

Recently, armed conflict has flared between the Syrian Democratic Forces and both the Turkish-backed, so-called Syrian National Army militia and the forces aligned with the Syrian transitional government. In coming days we'll be sharing a timely podcast featuring an interview with a member of Tekoşîna Anarşîst and another with a western activist on the ground in Qamişlo to share their perspectives on the situation and updates on the changing terrain. We talk about the danger of a resurgence of ISIS, the humanitarian crisis growing due to the seige in Kobane and the fears of a renewed patriarchal governance, but also about organizing and international solidarity.

This is a good time to get together with community in your area to figure out how you can support the revolution in Rojava. If you don't have a Rojava solidarity group in your area (start one), keep an ear out for calls to action via the Emergency Committee for Rojava: https://www.defendrojava.org/

In the meantime, check out this first podcast by the Youth Media project, Ronahi: https://www.ronahi.eu/2026/ronahi-podcast-episode-1/

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Featured Track:

• TFSR by The Willows Whisper