Instagram story viewer> @utfav1> Tagged
Uniting Three Fires Against Violence(@utfav1)'s profile avatar HD Profile

Uniting Three Fires Against Violence

@utfav1

undefined
POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED
I’m so proud to ride in solidarity with survivors of domestic violence and economic abuse. To ride in partnership with orsa credit union, led by the indomitable Tansley Stearns. And to ride in gratitude with the Michigan Coalition To End Domestic and Sexual Violence, with co-directors Chéree Thomas and Merkeb Yohannes. Survivors: we believe you, we respect you, and we are here for you. ❤️ 🚴‍♂️Choose The Bear Tour is a cross-Michigan bike ride and movement to end gender-based violence and economic abuse. Ignited by Orsa Credit Union.✨ 🐻Link in bio to the Choose The Bear Tour to learn more and donate to a fund for survivors. ❤️Michiganders: Link in bio to support survivors with everyday debit card purchases through Grow And Give. It takes five minutes to sign up. #choosethebeartour #orsacreditunion #shewentwild #sheexplores
4
Download
Hot takes from my tent with the one and only Priya Mann. Thank you Priya for elevating our message to end gender-based violence and domestic abuse! Thank you JoJo Dries from @onthewingsofangelsnonprofit for connecting us, and for being a forever badass. Thank you Orsa Credit Union for envisioning, creating, and supporting the Choose The Bear Tour. Orsa is leading the way for financial institutions to show up for women in tangible ways. I’m proud to work with them. Thank you to the extraordinary network of survivors, frontline workers, and systems workers across Michigan who are doing the gritty, powerful, beautiful work to end gender-based violence and domestic abuse. You are my heroes. Thank you to Uniting Three Fires Against Violence and the Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence for your work with survivors across the state. Domestic violence is systemic: it affects people from every background and walk of life. It’s also intertwined with racism, colonialism, homophobia, and the many systems of hierarchy that bind and enforce patriarchal norms. Breaking the cycle means building genuine relationships of care and mutuality. @utfav1 and @mcedsv do this brilliantly. The bike journey ends today in Detroit. Tomorrow (Tuesday July 21) from 5:30 to 7:30 we’re hosting a public meet and greet at the Kensington Hotel in Ann Arbor. If you’re in the area, please come by and say hi! 🚴‍♂️Choose The Bear Tour is a cross-Michigan bike ride and movement to end gender-based violence and economic abuse. Ignited by Orsa Credit Union.✨ 🐻Link in bio to the Choose The Bear Tour to learn more and donate to a fund for survivors. ❤️Michiganders: Link in bio to support survivors with everyday debit card purchases through Grow And Give. It takes five minutes to sign up. #choosethebeartour #orsacreditunion #shewentwild #sheexplores
41
Download
“We are all worthy of this gift of life and the beauty of this world.” —Samantha Brown, Uniting Three Fires Against Violence 🚴‍♂️Choose The Bear Tour is a cross-Michigan bike ride and movement to end gender-based violence and economic abuse. Ignited by Orsa Credit Union.✨ 🐻Link in bio to the Choose The Bear Tour to learn more and donate to a fund for survivors. #choosethebeartour #orsacreditunion #shewentwild #sheexplores @utfav1
5
Download
Stories about domestic violence are always personal. They touch the deepest, darkest parts of a person’s life and identity. When a survivor shares their story, they bring that darkness into the light. They reclaim the narrative for themselves—and for so many others. “So many of us have been through this, and there’s no shame in experiencing these things. There’s also no shame in what you had to do to survive or who you had to be in order to survive. …Prior to this, I just thought of abuse and violence as kind of a person-to-person issue. I never really was able to grasp how deeply rooted and historic and systemic that this was. And now that I’m here, I’m like: Oh hell no. We’re not going to stand for this. We have a lot of education and a lot of work to do. Let’s do it.” —Samantha Brown, Uniting Three Fires Against Violence ❤️Uniting Three Fires Against Violence is a statewide tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalition serving the Tribes located in Michigan. Their mission is to support Michigan Tribes in promoting the social change necessary to address the disproportionate rates of violence that impact their communities. @utfav1 🚴‍♂️Choose The Bear Tour is a cross-Michigan bike ride and movement to end gender-based violence and economic abuse. With Orsa Credit Union.✨
6
Download
“How are we connected in life, in creation? That would be the one thing that I would want people to hold onto, because if we could hold onto that, then the violence could go away.” —Sandra Pilgrim-Lewis My first in-person interview was with the extraordinary team from Uniting Three Fires Against Violence, a domestic violence and sexual assault coalition serving tribes across the state. We talked about the legal and systemic issues impacting Native people across the state, the tragedy of Missing or Murdered Indigenous women, the ubiquity of financial abuse within abusive relationships, and the power of hope and daily forward motion. This conversation impacted me on a deep level. I’ll share more about it in the coming weeks. Thank you for your strength, wisdom, and compassion Vanessa Owaski-Patzwald, Samantha Brown, Sandra Pilgrim-Lewis, and Stacey Ettawageshik. (Photo left to right, next to me with my pannier.)❤️ 🚴‍♂️Choose The Bear Tour is a cross-Michigan bike ride and movement to end gender-based violence and economic abuse. With Orsa Credit Union.✨
0
Download
Choose The Bear Tour has begun! For the next eight weeks, I’ll zigzag Michigan’s forests, towns, and lakeshores. Along the way, I’ll visit frontline organizations that help women recover from domestic abuse, gender-based violence, and financial control. I’ll listen, learn, and report back here and at choosethebeartour.org. It’s truly an honor to ride in solidarity with survivors. ✨ Thanks for joining us! #choosethebeartour #orsacreditunion #michiganstrong #adventurecycling #worldbycycling
46
Download
This march is about more than awareness…it’s about honoring lives. We gather to remember those who are missing, those whose lives were taken, and the families still seeking answers. 📅 May 5 🕛 12 p.m. 📍 Rosa Parks Circle, Grand Rapids, MI Join @gunlaketribe, @pokegnek, and @utfav1 as we stand together in solidarity. #MMIP #MMIW #MMIPAwareness #NoMoreStolenRelatives #NoMoreStolenSisters #JusticeForMMIP
0
Download
Join us with @gunlaketribe, @pokegnek, and @utfav1 for #NoMoreStolenRelatives at this year’s MMIP March. 📍 May 5 🕛 12 p.m. 📌 Rosa Parks Circle (135 Monroe Center St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI) Together, we honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous People, uplift families, and demand justice. View last year’s event photos here: https://nhbp.passgallery.com/-mmipmarch2025/gallery #MMIP #MMIW #MMIPAwareness #NoMoreStolenRelatives #NoMoreStolenSisters #JusticeForMMIP
0
Download
Thousands of Indigenous people are still missing. Their families deserve answers. Their stories deserve to be heard. March with us on May 5 to raise awareness and demand action. Wear red. Show up. Speak out. ❤️ For more MMIP statistics, visit www.fbi.gov/file-repository/missing-american-indian-alaska-native-2024-final.pdf/view #MMIP #MMIW #MMIPAwareness #NoMoreStolenRelatives #NoMoreStolenSisters #JusticeForMMIP
0
Download
Okay here’s what happened, what changed, and what’s coming next… What happened: In 2024 the “man or bear” debate flooded the internet, opening up conversations about gender-based violence. I wrote a story about it for Bikepacking.com (link in bio to A Woman Who Left Society To Live With Bears Weighs In On “Man Or Bear”), and my story also went viral. It sparked the interest of a Michigan-based credit union that’s long been invested in programs to end gender-based violence and financial abuse. So…we decided to join forces and turn my story into a real-life bike ride and movement to end gender-based violence! What changed: We planned the ride in 2025, but had to pause for a year because my mom got sick. My mom passed in October, and those last months with her were terrible and precious. In that time, the credit union (formerly called Community Financial) changed its named to orsa credit union, which means “female bear” (matching their bear logo!) @orsacreditunion The bike journey was renamed Choose The Bear Tour, after the original viral meme. We’re reclaiming this meme and dedicating it to survivors of gender-based violence. What’s coming next: The Choose the Bear Tour is what’s coming next! For 8 weeks I’ll pedal across Michigan while meeting frontline workers who help women recover from abusive relationships and gender-based violence. I’ll document the journey through writing, interviews, and social media. Our goal is to untangle complicated conversations and spark a deeper understanding of safety and autonomy. We stand with survivors and believe that healing is possible. The Choose The Bear Tour starts in May. This is a community effort and we’ll need all the support we can get. Thanks for being here!❤️ #choosethebeartour #adventurecycling #sheexplores #shredthepatriarchy #equalityforall
72
Download
🕐DUE:TOMMORROW June 24- The Grants to Indian Tribal Governments Program, referred to as the Tribal Governments Program, assists Tribal governments (or their authorized designees) to respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking in Tribal communities. This critical funding helps create culturally relevant safety, healing, and justice for survivors. #Healing #DomesticViolence #EndSexualAssault #Indigenous #tribalcommunity #Justice #OVW
1
Download
This year we launched an exciting new podcast and program called Eminazhichiget, which translates in Anishinaabemowin to “a person who does good things for others.” These intimate conversations hosted by Holly T. Bird serve to uplift the leadership and stories of some of our inspiring Anishinaabek leaders. Miigwech to those who have tuned in to listen via SoundCloud, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts or watched the full episodes via our YouTube. With your support we can continue this important program spotlighting the work and success of these wonderful Indigenous leaders. #TitleTrackMI #Eminazhichiget #Indigenous #Anishinaabe
1
Download
back to up