Beltrami County DFL Hosts Pizza and Programs with Indigenous Organizer March 19

Tamika-Jo Andy, a community organizer for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women (MMIW) 218 who lives in Redby, was the featured speaker at the Beltrami County DFL's monthly Pizza & Programs session on Thursday, March 19, at the party's office at 1510 Bemidji Ave. N. in Bemidji.

The 90-minute lunchtime forum ran from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and was open to the public. Pizza & Programs sessions are designed as informal discussions and dialogue with invited speakers who are community organizers and leaders, according to the all-volunteer Beltrami County DFL organizing unit.

Andy is a member of Mishkosiminiziibiing, known in English as Big Grassy River First Nation, of Ontario, Canada. She holds an Associate of Arts Degree in Indigenous Leadership from Leech Lake Tribal College and resides in Redby with her five children. Before taking on her current role with MMIW 218, she worked as a sexual health educator and as a domestic violence advocate at a women's shelter in Bemidji.

A DFL release described Andy as passionate about "strategic planning and collaboration to develop and implement actionable solutions."

The Beltrami County DFL can be reached through its website at beltramidfl.org.