Tracker Pixel for Entry

​We Are Family: Anna Johnson and the Human Family

Culture | May 20th, 2023

By John Showalter 

john.d.showalter@gmail.com

Human rights is a subject that often comes up in the media. One has only to tune in to any of the major news broadcasters to hear heated debate and discussion regarding the treatment of various groups in our society, whether it be racial or religious minorities, the LGBTQ+ community, or others from all varieties of pundit and talking head.

For many these concerns are in the abstract, of intellectuals and journalists that have no bearing on their lives; or they haven’t the foggiest notion how to contribute even if they wanted to.

Sometimes, however, you have individuals like Anna Johnson, who bridges that experiential divide. An enrolled member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, Johnson grew up in Bismarck before moving to Fargo in 2006 to live with her wife.

After graduating with a BFA in printmaking from NDSU in 2010, Johnson worked for the VA, where she became a steward at the Fargo branch of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, (AFL-CIO), the largest federation of labor unions in the United States. This experience is what ignited her desire to advocate for the rights of all North Dakotans.

Her list of accomplishments would make anyone feel like an underachiever. When she is not working hard as a tandem truck driver for Aggregate Industries, she is board chair of local human rights nonprofit The Human Family, Interim Executive Director for The Indigenous Association, an artist and partner with The Arts Partnership, and formerly a member of the city of Fargo’s Native American Commission, as well as running for Fargo City Commission in 2022, where she felt everyday hard-working people were underrepresented.

On top of that she is a prolific artist whose painting and mural work you have likely seen around town. To wit: four utility box wraps downtown, a dreamcatcher by the housing authority across from Spicy Pie, two bears including one by Sidestreet, the hawk on 7th by Sanford right off Broadway, her award-winning exhibit “Walk With Two Spirits” in front of the Renaissance Hall on NP, a bench wrap with the creation story in front of Halberstadt’s, the letter A in the “Greetings from Fargo” mural, a mural on the side of Bernie’s, a large collage in West Acres Mall in Bison Court, a mural in Belcourt for the college as a partnership with the NDSU extension in downtown Belcourt, two locker banks in Minot’s Jim Hill Middle School, and a mural in Langdon Elementary.

Despite this impressive resume, Johnson maintains an air of affability and humility. That is not to say that she is not willing to “push the needle,” in her words, when the need arises. “I’m brown and a lesbian, I check a lot of boxes,” she joked, in reference to how several projects have brought her on as a “diversity hire.”

“They think they’re being slick, and I don’t know what’s going on,” she chuckled. She isn’t bitter or resentful about it, however, but sees it as an opportunity to say what needs to be said and not mince words about it.

As someone so passionate about advocating for people’s rights, it is no wonder that she gravitated toward The Human Family after meeting its founder Sean Coffman at the North Dakota Human Rights Festival. Coffman, an award-winning filmmaker, founded The Human Family in 2017.

In the words of their own site, “Our mission is to promote human rights and social justice through the voices and work of filmmakers and artists, and centering and lifting the voices who have been intentionally excluded from conversations.”

The organization is the curator of the North Dakota Human Rights Film & Arts Festivals, the North Dakota Environmental Rights Film Festival, and the Fargo-Moorhead LGBT Film Festival; and produces original content such as the documentary series “Home: The Homelessness Crisis in North Dakota”.

Their events take place around North Dakota with the goal of creating community change through perspective and empathy shifting, which occur by fostering sometimes difficult discussions in person. “We are non-partisan, and see our work as above politics. Human rights is understanding that everyone deserves ‘x’. Politics is the action of determining how best to do that. We aim to get everyone to agree that as humans, we all are entitled to those items outlined in the Declaration of Human Rights.”

This year, the Human Rights and Environmental Rights film festivals are being combined into one festival, as the two are often related. The Human Family is currently in search of as many as are willing to be jurors in that and the LGBT film festival, both of which are set to take place this autumn.

Johnson stated that this is because with 100+ films of varying length and production quality as well as the occasional content that can be very emotionally taxing to watch, burnout is a very real concern. It is easier to have jurors select a particular subset of films they would be interested in watching and judging.

As heated as the national conversation has become with regard to certain issues, such as LGBT rights, the safety of particular locales and avoiding the possibility of censorship are also concerns that are constantly being vetted before these festivals take place.

It is only through having these difficult conversations, however, that we as a society can learn and grow, and groups like The Human Family and individuals like Anna Johnson are devoted to helping that process along. 

Recently in:

MayFargo MarathonNow - May 20Youth run Thursday, 5K Friday night, 10K, half and full marathon, entertainment along route on Saturday. fargomarathon.comKids to Park DayMay 20Bring the kids to Theault Farm in Fargo for crafts,…

By John Showalter john.d.showalter@gmail.comHuman rights is a subject that often comes up in the media. One has only to tune in to any of the major news broadcasters to hear heated debate and discussion regarding the treatment of…

Event by Moorhead Parks & Recreation and Swing Barrel Brewing Company, LLCW. H. Davy Memorial Park, 1st Ave & 8th St N, MoorheadTuesday, June 27, 5:30-8pmThe Gina Powers Band + Petting ZooHeather & Thistle Pipes and DrumsArt…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comOur opinion: Keep your chins up, class of 2023As the school year draws to a close, this seems to be the time of year when most editors offer up their best advice to the most recent graduating…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comQuestion for 2024: Will a Billion Guns and a Quadrillion Bullets Make DSA Safer?Ever since Lucy fell out of an African tree 3.2 million years ago, animals have been designing new ways to kill each…

We are looking for 55-gallon plastic food grade barrels, do you have ideas or connections?We use these barrels to teach our resilient yard workshop series including Make Your Own Rain Barrel and Make Your Own Compost Tumbler. If…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.comSpring has finally sprung. It’s time to bounce out of the house and try a few new places to eat. Let’s explore what restaurants are trending on the Fargo-Moorhead Eats Facebook page. With nearly…

Event information provided by Morgan Thompson, Marketing and Sales Associate, FARGODOMEMThompson@fargodome.comIt’s the official kickoff of summer, and the return of the best BBQ around and look who’s going to be there! Getting…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.comWriter-director Nicole Holofcener leans in – all the way in – to the sturdy milieu of the well-heeled, narcissist-inhabited, New York-based comedy landscape dominated for so many decades by…

Hjemkomst Center 202 1st Ave N, Moorhead  April 25, 3:30-7:30pmPaint a rock, make a stranger smile and be a part of the movement! Keep your rock or add it to the pile to be labeled, sealed and…

By Eric Dallmanericd@hpr1.comWe recently watched “The PROM” at Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and it was an experience that left a lasting impact on us. The story, a heartwarming yet familiar one, follows a group of Broadway stars…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Kris Gruberperriex1@gmail.comSpring is here (mostly), and our area is buzzing with people eager to get back out and about -- many newly vaccinated and feeling a bit safer. Partnering with Jade Events, Fargo Brewing is just…

By John Showalter  john.d.showalter@gmail.comThey sell fentanyl test strips and kits to harm-reduction organizations and…

By Traci Sethre  traci.sethre@gmail.comAn integral piece of fencing is your mask. Its integrity keeps you safe. It’s typically painted black to hide your face…

By Ken and Alice Christiansonsubmit@hpr1.com HB 1332 is currently before the North Dakota legislature. The bill proposes to permit social workers to use a discredited treatment method to convert the sexual orientation of gay and…