RED LAKE — Cheri Goodwin grew up in a house on the shores of Lower Red Lake where the new Obimindwaa building now stands.
Formerly known as Family and Children services, Obimindwaa translates to Lifting Up Our Relatives. Goodwin is the program manager, overseeing nine divisions that serve the generational needs of the community with culture at the forefront.
“We’re smashing our disparities. We're going to build the relationships, with the culture at the forefront.”Cheri Goodwin
Goodwin’s dream came true with the construction of the $15.5 million building and said that this is only the beginning.
“We’re going to smash our disparities once and for all. We can do it,” she said. “This is our home. These are our people.
“The way we did things all these years, being assimilated, following the Western way of doing business, that didn’t work for our families. So here we are today to say, ‘No, we’re owning it. We are the system.’”
The building’s expansive main level includes private intake rooms as well as larger community spaces, with a cafeteria to serve elders, as well as an accessible tub and wave pool. There are also laundry and haircut services, and numerous other amenities aimed at a better quality of life, such as a fitness center, a sauna, and an accessible playground.
The building’s second floor features futuristic office and conference spaces, described by Cheri Goodwin as a “Google hangout” where her staff members can drop in, complete their paperwork and get back out into the community.
The opening celebrations featured numerous demonstrations, including robotics, mountain bikes and a concert performed by Red Lake Band members Sonny Johnson and Joshua Jones. Jones also leads Obimindwaa’s Izhaadaa Agwajiing program, translating to Let’s Go Outside.
“This is what sovereignty looks like. It means taking over these programs and helping our people heal generations of trauma.”Sam Strong
Goodwin’s vision began in earnest in 2015, completing a strategic plan with a large group of elders and Red Lake programming staff, forming that vision while strengthening relationships with Beltrami County, the state legislature and federal lawmakers to get this program off the ground.
“It’s hard work, what we’re doing, but we’re doing it,” Cheri Goodwin said. “We’re smashing our disparities. We're going to build the relationships, with the culture at the forefront.”
The Red Lake Band is among several Tiwahe Initiative tribes. The initiative redirects state and federal funding directly to federally recognized tribes to “provide freedom to design programs and integrate services with tribal culture and tradition,” according to the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The Red Lake Initiative became official in January 2021, removing the fiscal responsibility of out-of-home placements from Beltrami County. While Beltrami County served as the fiscal agent, the county faced financial insolvency and a fiscal cliff due to the rising costs of out-of-home placements.
Audrianna Goodwin, the Tiwahe Initiative specialist for the Red Lake Band and Cheri Goodwin’s daughter, explained that through six different federal funding streams, the tribes make the sole decisions on how the funding is spent.
“A lot of what you see here is Tiwahe in action,” Audrianna Goodwin said. “We get to put this money into the projects that our relatives need. Today, we’re here at this beautiful new building for intergenerational wellness. This is really a beautiful day.”
The state Legislature also authorized $5.5 million in 2020, with groundbreaking on the facility beginning in May 2022.
“All of us here in this room have a connection to Cheri Goodwin,” Audrianna Goodwin said. “It is through that relationship-building and for her always knocking on the door saying this is what Red Lake Nation needs and wants and we don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.”
Red Lake Tribal Secretary Sam Strong commended the Obimindwaa staff for their achievements so far with reducing out-of-home child placements, which Red Lake officials say have been significantly reduced in the first full year of the programming.
“Family and Children Services has been known to be a perpetrator of historical trauma, taking our children out of our homes, off the reservation,” Strong said. “This is what sovereignty looks like. It means taking over these programs and helping our people heal generations of trauma.”
