Creating Change Through Community: Anna's Story

Join us as we delve into the inspiring world of Anna, a vibrant artist and passionate community advocate based in Fargo. Known for her stunning murals and dedicated involvement in various local organizations, Anna shares her powerful journey as a Native American and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community. In this episode, Anna opens up about her campaign for city commission, underscoring the importance of representation and making a difference. With heartfelt stories of resilience, pride, and the transformative power of art, Anna invites us to reflect on the value of visibility and the impact one person can have on their community.

Presented by Tellwell Story Co., this episode reminds us that art can help heal and join a community.

Listen now on YouTube and Spotify: https://youtu.be/_Nyv2Wm7G7k

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

I feel like my cousins would say my story is like Fortune Feimster the comedian. It was like really old before I realized that that's what was happening. Oh, I like girls, oh, like you had to get hit over the head with it. That was me.

Speaker 2: 0:19

Welcome to Pride Stories, the podcast, where we celebrate the entire spectrum of experiences that make up the LGBTQ plus community. I'm your host, max Kringen from Tell All Story Cohen Studio On this podcast. We're committed to creating a safe, supportive and inspiring space for our guests and listeners alike, so join us as we explore the heartwarming, sometimes painful and always inspired stories that make us who we are. Well, anna, welcome to Pride Stories, the podcast. Thanks so much for being on with us.

Speaker 1: 0:53

Thanks, thanks for having me on.

Speaker 2: 0:54

So, Anna, for the people who don't know you, who?

Speaker 1: 0:58

is Anna Jeez? That's such a big question, right, but I think most people in our area, Fargo here, might know me as an artist. I've done some murals in our town. I did the A in the Greetings from Fargo mural, the mural on the side of Bernie's Liquor and most recently the mural on the International Market. I do art of all kinds in town and I serve on many different boards, including the Arts Partnership and Stonewall Sports and the Arts and Culture Commission, as a commissioner for the city. That's about it.

Speaker 2: 1:33

Well, that's a lot. That's a lot. Right there, you just named like seven different organizations that you're a part of, in addition to doing your own artwork, and so, for people that may not know, you're a Native American artist and you know, right before we hopped on, we started talking about you have some fun and exciting things coming up. Can you tell us about those?

Speaker 1: 1:56

Yeah, I'm running for city commission here in Fargo. Why? Because representation matters.

Speaker 2: 2:03

Amen.

Speaker 1: 2:04

That's all I really have to say about that, I think.

Speaker 2: 2:07

Well, actually I would love for you to go deeper into that because I think it's obvious for the people that believe in representation, but I think that there are a lot of people who listen to this podcast even who may be struggling to figure out, like who they, what they represent and those types of things. And so, from your perspective as I don't know how old you are, but I'm 36. I consider myself a bit of an elder of the gay community in Fargo, but I would put us in around the same age bracket yeah, I'm 41. Okay, great, I would put us in around the same age bracket yeah, I'm 41. Okay great. As a fellow kind of like elder and outspoken person in this community, why is representation important?

Speaker 1: 2:52

Well, you know, recently I went to what I considered the gay town hall at the out front in the Minnesota side and one of the things that kept coming up was how everybody needs to see somebody that represents themselves in the world that they live in. And I think that's so important to be the outspoken voice for the majority or the minority, the people that don't have a voice. And, as if you know me and you see me, I'm walking around with this face. So it's kind of hard to be like, oh I'm, I'm straight passing, cause I'm not not at all. So I feel like my whole life has just with this face. So it's kind of hard to be like, oh, I'm straight passing, because I'm not at all. So I feel like my whole life has just been this way and I'm out and I'm proud, and I've always been that way, and I think that just being myself is representing of all of us.

Speaker 2: 3:38

I think that was beautifully said. One of the things when you introduce yourself. You're an artist. Can you talk to us about your art? What's your style, what's your medium? Why is art important?

Speaker 1: 3:50

I graduated from NDSU in 2010 with my Bachelor's of Fine Art in printmaking and drawing, so printmaking is really my jam. I really like that. I like to build the layers and tell a story. So I do a lot of monotype printmaking with natural materials and stencils and I also do relief carving, where you carve away the color you want it to stay until you have nothing left. Most recently, like I was talking about, I've been doing murals, which somebody one day said do you want to do this? And I said, sure, but nobody knew I could paint. So it was kind of one of those things where I was like, well, you put a lot of faith in the fact that I'm about to paint on your wall right now and nobody knows I can paint because I'm a printmaker which is a far cry away from painting on big giant walls. And then, after I did the first one, then the second one and they just kind of came after that one after the other.

Speaker 1: 4:39

And I like to use the mural art as a way to express things for our community, like I know that the A in Greetings from Fargo has Ojibwe floral and different totem animals from my tribe to represent the Native Americans in our community and if you're Native American you notice that right away and that's just another form of representation and how important that is to see yourself and your community. And so the Bernie's liquor store mural is the Northern Lights with some Ojibwe floral in the corners. And you know, we knew we weren't painting the Sistine Chapel, but it still should be beautiful and impactful and everybody in that community feels that way when they get to look at it now. And also the Ojibwe floral, you know the Native Americans feel represented in that community, feels that way when they get to look at it now, and also the Ojibwe floral. You know the Native Americans feel represented in that community.

Speaker 1: 5:30

And then when I did the international market that was really to cover up and replace the mural that had got damaged from Nazi racism. And how could I convey that all of those things for them without it being to like hit you over the head with it? So for culture and for representation. So I used all the florals and marketplace in Morocco for the Moroccan people and the European vegetable market. I wanted, you know, the Chinese lotus blossoms, african floral, so that everybody could feel represented and it didn't have to be like all these people and faces, so that somebody came along to say, well, I don't want to see this brown face anymore, so I'm going to deface it Like, but I can still convey that in that way.

Speaker 2: 6:19

Why is conveying that so important?

Speaker 1: 6:23

Well, I think it's important to be able to, like I said, have representation in your communities, and so people ask me to do these things because they want to give something into that community that they're living in, whatever that means. So the international market is home to the Somalian, you know. Also, they have the Mexican restaurant in there, they have the beauty salon that's in there and all of these different cultures that mix there and have been there for a long, long time that maybe nobody even knows about. And like, if I paint something for them that helps represent them and also gives them a second life, that maybe brings people in there that might not know about it, then I'm in there for that.

Speaker 1: 7:03

The thing with the, the, the Bernie's mural, was kind of um, just a fluke, because I live right by there and I know Nikki Bergland and I was buying cheese one day and I just heard them talking and it just kind of snowballed from there. So I don't think everything works that way, in such a kismet kind of way, but that's kind of how that one worked.

Speaker 2: 7:26

That's great. Also, you're great Like I am not sure if. Well, I didn't realize this until we started talking. The most we've talked is like giving each other shit at Stonewall at kickball, and so, like I had no idea that there were all these other layers to you kickball. And so, like I had no idea that there were all these other layers to you, what, what got you involved in, in all of these different organizations, from city council to Stonewall, to the arts partnership, to all of these different organizations? Why, what got you involved?

Speaker 1: 7:57

You know that's such a good question. I just realized when I was so I'm a native American, as you mentioned, and I was asked to be on the Native American commission and when I did that you kind of get to see how the sausage is made, so to speak. And I got to be on some committees like I got to be on the hiring committee for the DEI director and the hiring committee for the chief of police and some other committees where you can kind of see how this all works and I just realized it's not as complicated as you actually think it is and that there's like three old white men who are making all the decisions for us and I don't feel like that's very fair. And after seeing how things are and knowing it, it's just like a handshake deal in the back room almost. You know, so to speak, in a way that I wanted to make a difference in that. Maybe it's just ingrained in me to want to do something, but if not me, who?

Speaker 2: 8:55

You talk about it being ingrained in you. Do you like, as you think back to early days, to college, to high school, elementary school, to those early memories, like is that sense of community kind of ingrained in you?

Speaker 1: 9:09

I think so. I don't think. I mean, I never really thought about political activism or anything like that when I was younger. I think my family, I grew up around music and that there's a real sense of community there, and I think that's what it was.

Speaker 2: 9:23

There is a really, really beautiful community around music and it's like everybody has their part to play. Everybody has their contribution to make, but it's vital that everybody makes their contribution, Otherwise it sounds like something's missing.

Speaker 1: 9:40

That's for sure. My brother, my brother Matt. He plays in a couple different bands in town and is a really, really good musician.

Speaker 2: 9:49

What type of music?

Speaker 1: 9:50

He actually plays all types of music because he plays lead guitar in High Eli and he is in the Four Feathers as the lead singer, lead guitar player With Seth Holden and Brant Nene and also he just started a country band called Matty J and the Mud Stompers Mud Hole Stompers.

Speaker 2: 10:13

So he's busy as well. That sounds like it might be something that you guys have been getting involved in a little bit of everything. Can we go back to kind of like your early days who was Anna of elementary school and middle school and high school and even into your coming out story?

Speaker 1: 10:33

Well, I grew up in Bismarck, north Dakota. I spent my whole life there, growing up there. I've been well, I've actually been out since forever, like I was out when I was like 14.

Speaker 1: 10:49

So, like I mean I, can't remember not being out, but it was kind of a forced scenario and that that that way. But when I was younger I didn't even think about it. I feel like, um, my cousins would say my story is like fortune feimster the comedian, really like. It was like really old before I realized that that's what was happening. Oh, I like girls. Oh, like you had to get hit over the head with it. That was me.

Speaker 2: 11:17

I also love Fortune, and I love Fortune's mom.

Speaker 1: 11:20

Yeah, no, 100, 100%. Like her podcast is great, Her mom is the best, but yeah, no, I think that's really like a lot of it was that. And I did grow up in Bismarck, so it's very conservative and like nobody is super, you know inviting and stuff. And I and I moved away as soon as I could and I went to Boston and California and Dallas and Montana and I lived all over before I decided to come back and stay because somebody has to come back and stay, and I lived all over before I decided to come back and stay because somebody has to come back and stay. But I didn't want to go back and be in Bismarck. I didn't feel like I would be able to be successful, like I am here in a place like Bismarck because it just is not accepting, it just isn't.

Speaker 2: 12:03

Yeah, so of all those places that you listed from from literally coast to coast, and Montana, and why? Why come back? What brought you back?

Speaker 1: 12:14

Oh, my family, my family brought me back. Yeah, I couldn't be away from them. I just, it's just, and you know, it's where I'm from. And when you get to see how the other world, how everybody lives in the world and it's not, it's not all it's cracked up to be it's hard out there in those bigger cities and the bigger places. I mean, when I was in Boston I had like 16 roommates in a one bedroom box. Basically, you know what I mean. On the other side of that I'm in California is the same way and you know. But I wanted to have all those life experiences and then be able to come back and and, uh, raise a family, so to speak, here.

Speaker 2: 12:48

So tell us about that. You have a partner, you have? A wife and you guys got married outside of North Dakota before it was legal here.

Speaker 1: 12:58

Can you tell us that story? Yeah, um, we got married in 2009 in Connecticut in a bed and breakfast out in Hartford and it's it's so funny because we don't even think about it Like why, like we don't think about why we did it, but it was because it wasn't legal here yet. And then I remember, like the next year or the year after Iowa became legal, and I was super pissed because we had to have gone all the way out to Connecticut where we could have went like five hours to Iowa to get it done. And then I was thinking about it again recently because when did North Dakota actually become legal and how long was I married before it was actually legal here? Because we've been together, we've been married 15 years. This February it was 15 years. That's incredible.

Speaker 2: 13:44

Congratulations, thank you. So to get to kind of the name of the podcast, as you think about your story and you continue to think about your stories, what is your pride story? What are you proud of?

Speaker 1: 13:58

Well, I'm proud of all that I've accomplished thus far and, like I said, about representation mattering so much, I feel like it's important to be that voice for people. I never got to have like a coming out story. I was very young when I was outed by my mother, who was a very nosy woman, and back in the day, because we're of an age, I would write letters to my family like my cousins who live in another place, because we're poor and nobody's making those phone calls long distance and all of those things that people don't have any understanding about now. So we would write letters back and forth and my mom was a snoop and she dug out my notebook from my backpack and I had a girlfriend and I wrote a story to my cousin about something that happened and then she told everybody and then me. So she really just told everybody in my whole family before I even got a chance, and the only person that I got to tell was my cousin and we were like I was like 14 at the time.

Speaker 2: 15:03

So was that? I mean, that sounds like that could have gone one or two ways. That could have either been a really good thing or a really bad thing.

Speaker 1: 15:11

It wasn't great.

Speaker 2: 15:12

Wasn't great.

Speaker 1: 15:14

I mean, I grew up in Bismarck, so it wasn't great, and I think my mom did it so that she everybody could kind of get their shit together before before, right, Like I mean, nobody ever was mean to me. I think my dad had a problem. You know my grandparents of an age. You know I come from a Catholic family, so that's always going to, that'll always be one of those silly issues, and you know they're not with us anymore.

Speaker 1: 15:40

So these are not things that I've had to think about for a while, because it's different time now and people don't really think about those kind of things. I mean, some people's families do care a lot more still, but not like in that way, I don't think. And so yeah, it was an uphill battle for a little while, but I think my family eventually all came around and I'm a gold star, so I never had any boyfriends or anything like that. So I don't think anybody was surprised when my mom was like put up the gay flag and was like here. You know, like I feel like she just rolled out the thing and was like here ye, here ye, and just told like literally the gay put up the phone and was like hey, told everybody under the sun that's wild my mom's a gossip, like I'm just one of those things I love that it comes to mom being a gossip.

Speaker 2: 16:30

What's your? I mean, this isn't therapy by any stretch, but like what? What is your relationship now?

Speaker 1: 16:37

we have a great relationship. Yeah, yeah, it's. It's funny, you know she's super supportive and uh, lives here in fargo, helps, helps my brother, she lives with my brother, helps take care of their kids. They have three kids a wife and three kids and she's very, very, very supportive, like she's super, you know, into everything and just wants to be there and helpful and it's. It surprises me sometimes.

Speaker 2: 17:01

I love that you started to talk about kind of what you were proud of and you were proud of what you've accomplished. But from what I know of you just in our short conversation, you have a lot more to accomplish as you think about, and this is not a political stump speech by any stretch. I know you're running for commission but you know what do you hope for? The future of not just Fargo, moorhead, but our region and our country? Like it's a weird time right.

Speaker 1: 17:30

Yeah, I hope for things to get better and that I know that we can do better and be better and there's more good than there's bad.

Speaker 2: 17:40

Keep going on that.

Speaker 1: 17:41

I think that in a state that we think doesn't really care about us, they care a lot more than we think, just because we wouldn't be this big of an issue if they didn't care so much. But that's because somebody out there everybody has somebody in their family that's gay, queer, transgender, everybody does. We just don't talk about it in North Dakota because we're still 10 or 15 years behind the rest of the world. But it doesn't mean it won't catch up with us one day and like do we want to have that as our legacy? Like we don't want to be the deep North, you know, at least that's my hope.

Speaker 2: 18:17

That's a a great hope. What do you think the role of art and that representation that you talked about can have in that?

Speaker 1: 18:27

trying to get us up to speed, well, I think art can change the world, and I say this so much it's silly and people think it's like my slogan or whatever, but I think it's it. I think that art is it's not just the paintings and the drawings and the murals, right Like. It's the music and the movies and it's the theater, and it's everything we have around us as art, so it really impactfully, can change the world.

Speaker 2: 18:50

What do you have to say? What advice do you have to that fledgling artist who might say you know, my work isn't going to be seen by anybody, it's not going to make a difference. What advice do you have to them that would say, yeah, keep going.

Speaker 1: 19:06

You never know who's going to see it. You never know who's watching you. Somebody will, somebody does. They always do.

Speaker 2: 19:13

That's great. I love that. You talked about your coming out story with um and and your mom kind of outing you and all that jazz. What is growing up gay and a native American Is it. Is it different? Is it unique? Are there other nuances that come with with native American culture that that maybe not everybody knows about?

Speaker 1: 19:37

Yeah, I think so. Yeah, I think that, being Native American, you know it's not as looked down upon in Native American society because we have the two-spirited people. So two-spirited people in Native American culture are revered people in the culture, they are the medicine men and theed people. In the culture, they are the medicine men and the medicine women. In the culture, they're people who are looked on as advisors and the leaders of the tribe and that there wasn't just, you know, one gender, but many, and it was fluid. And I think that, because that is something that is ingrained in tribal cultures of all of the Native Americans, that we don't necessarily come under fire from our families like other people do, like we have more acceptance. I think that that, by far, is the difference.

Speaker 2: 20:31

That is so fascinating, feel like I had a general understanding of two spirits. But could you, could you kind of help define what that is for somebody who may not have ever heard the term before, or anything like that.

Speaker 1: 20:45

So I guess I would say two spirits, like having both male and female inside of you. The gender is both. So you know, in that, in that way, in the culture, you could be what we would consider now transgendered, male or female in the culture, and then be the medicine, men or women. So you might not necessarily, you know, have a partner per se, but you would be like a healer or the person they would go to for advice and that kind of thing. And it was never weird or anything, it was always like just that's how it is.

Speaker 2: 21:22

So, as a cis white man, I think one of the things that I so appreciate and, at the same time, am intimidated by sometimes is wanting to ask you, anna, about your culture, about what it is like to be the representation of a whole culture, a whole population, I would imagine. In a lot of the situations that you're in, I think about, I think about Stonewall a little bit, I think about the arts partnership, I think about the city council meetings that you're going to and some of the other things. You might be the only person of color in a room.

Speaker 1: 22:02

Yeah, and some, and you know I get tokenized a lot for that. You know they pick me for that reason because I I show up and I mean I guess that's a blessing and a curse in a way, because I feel like it's important for to have have representation. But I know I'm not the only brown face in this city. I might just be the only one that's talking to everybody right now. You know what I mean and I think that that's important to to point out that I'm not the only brown face in the world.

Speaker 1: 22:31

But yeah, it's hard, I think, because I want to represent myself and my culture as best as I can, but I'm not. I'm not the I can but I'm not the voice of everyone. I'm not the voice of every Native American because, just like in any other culture, there are many different Native American tribes within being a Native American Like I'm an enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa and Belcourt, north Dakota you know there's four or five other tribes in our area of other Indians and that does not make us related or anything like that. It's different cultures, just like it is anything else, and I don't think I don't think we get a. It's not fair to lump us all together just because we're Brown. We're all individuals, just like anybody else.

Speaker 2: 23:14

Absolutely. What would your challenge be to somebody listening right now who might say I don't need to get involved. I like let the people in Bismarck deal with that. Let the people in the city, the city council chambers deal with that. Let the legislator deal with that. What's your, what's your challenge to them?

Speaker 1: 23:34

I think it's important to get involved because if you don't, who will? And do you want all of those old white men and women to be their voice for you? Like, if you're an underrepresented, marginalized person, do you want that to be the person that represents you? Think that's one of the biggest things for me is that, like I drive a dump truck for a living seasonally, besides the art and all the other stuff, like I have a you know my wife is a nurse like we're regular people with a regular house and three dogs. So like I think it's important that it's not just a business owner or some you know crazy, you know wealthy person that represents our city, because that's not just a business owner or some you know crazy, you know wealthy person that represents our city because that's not the demographic of our city and where we live.

Speaker 2: 24:25

So how do they get involved?

Speaker 1: 24:26

They have to start showing up and doing the things like every. You can volunteer for just about anything, and just like I did when I was asked to join the Native American Commission. That was a volunteer basis, and the Arts and Culture Commission is volunteer, and you don't have to have any qualifications to be on some of these things. You just have to do it.

Speaker 2: 24:44

Fantastic, and one of the things that I have appreciated about you is that you aren't just getting involved in one way, right you between the arts partnership and um, the city commission run um, but also Stonewall sports and FM pride and all these different groups.

Speaker 1: 25:05

Oh yeah, I forgot about FM pride.

Speaker 2: 25:06

I just got on there You're a part of a little bit of everything and I think a lot for a lot of people. They may say I just don't have the time, I don't have the energy, I don't, I don't have those things. But I think one thing that I recognize is like it takes some energy and it takes some purpose to build a community. Why is building a community so important to?

Speaker 1: 25:30

you the same types of places that other communities have, necessarily in bigger, like we don't have gay bars and clubs here, so how are we going to have a community Like if we don't have something like Stonewall? I think that's important. Also, I don't like playing the sports so much, but I can do rules really good, so like I was going to say you are a hard ass ref.

Speaker 2: 25:54

I've even tried to argue with you a couple of times and I never win.

Speaker 1: 25:57

No, it's not happening. It's not. The rules are the rules, man, the rules are the rules. But yeah, no, I think that that's why it's important. Plus, it doesn't really take that much time.

Speaker 1: 26:10

Like, I know it seems like I'm doing a lot and my wife would say the opposite of what I'm saying right now, but I don't give that much time to each one of these things. It's really not that much time. And when you do give just that, like what hour a month to this board, or two hours a month to this, is it really that much time? Like, even if it's a not so much fun meeting where you have to talk about fundraising or whatnot, you still get to have the fun in between and you get to be a part of something that helps build something better. Like at the arts partnership, where we bring, you know, grant money to artists and art to buildings and all the things that we do for people in our community. It's important and we can't do that without people who volunteer. We can't do any of it without that without people who volunteer.

Speaker 2: 26:59

We can't do any of it without that. So good, what a great call to action. I know I I have sloughed off a little bit. I was a part of a couple of nonprofit groups for many years. That took up so much time and, like what I've, I kind of did the throw the baby out with the bathwater. So I really appreciate our conversation because it's, I feel, now inspired again to kind of check out some of those organizations that I've been caring about so it's important.

Speaker 1: 27:26

It really is, and I, you know, like I say my wife, she just hates all of it, but I think it's so important to get involved and to be able to build that sense of community we all want. It doesn't just fall from the sky. I wish it did, it would be great.

Speaker 2: 27:39

It would be so. And a last question for you. As you think, you know, from the time, I don't know, mom outed you, but maybe even before that to you know, your travels across the country to the city, commission run to all your volunteering, as you, as you think, back over over your life so far. What are you grateful for?

Speaker 1: 28:03

I'm grateful for my family. I don't think I could do any of it without them. The support that it takes to do some of the things that I'm doing is immense, and for my family I'm grateful Awesome.

Speaker 2: 28:19

Anna, thank you so much for being on Pride Stories. We appreciate you sharing your story. We're grateful for all the work that you do for our community and we so appreciate you being one of those folks that is building the community that we want to be a part of. So thank you and thanks for being on Pride Stories.

Speaker 1: 28:38

Thank you so much, I appreciate it.

Speaker 2: 28:40

Thank you for listening to Pride Stories, the podcast. I'm your host, max Kringen, and it's been an honor to bring this story to your ears. Pride Stories is proudly presented by Tellwell Story Co and Studio. We have an incredible team that makes this podcast possible every single week. If you've been inspired, moved or entertained by anything you've heard in this episode, please consider supporting our mission. You can do that by subscribing to the podcast, leave a five-star review or simply share it with a friend or family member. Your support helps keep the stories alive and resonating, and if you feel compelled to share your own pride story, we'd be honored to listen. Please visit the link in the description of this episode to get in touch. No matter where you are in your journey, whether you're out and proud or just finding your voice, remember you have a story to tell and it deserves to be heard.