Unflinching, John participates in the truth-telling indigenous peoples have sustained for generations as he asks this haunting question: “What does it mean to benefit from genocide, forced removal and stolen land?” If we long to be healed, it is this question we must embrace and John is helping us do that.

John Stoesz spent 30 plus years working in program and executive director roles for ecumenical and interfaith agencies. These include the Dallas Peace Center, Greater Dallas Community of Churches, Metropolitan Christian Council of Philadelphia and Mennonite Central Committee Central States. His denomination is Mennonite Church USA. Now he devotes much of his time to two passions: riding his recumbent tricycle and Native American justice. Minnesota is his home state and Mountain Lake is his hometown. In 2012 his family sold his grandparents’ farm near Mountain Lake. Since this was Dakota homeland before white settlement, he donated half the sale amount from his portion to Native groups working for land justice. Most went to Makoce Ikikcupi (Land Recovery in the Dakota language). In 2013 he pedaled his trike 2,000 miles through 40 Minnesota counties to raise awareness about what can be for Dakota land return. He continues to spend significant time on awareness raising and fundraising among white people for Native land return, speaking on this topic at 29 congregations and colleges. He is a member of the Dismantling the Doctrine of Discovery Coalition – a network of people of faith working to undo this horrible injustice.

Topics: Justice