Taking name used by Indigenous mental health crisis center was wrong

I called Virgil Sohm a few times last week, but he didn't answer. Then, I received a late message.

"I see you have my number," he said via email. I think that was his respectful way of telling me he knew I'd called the first time.

When we connected, he told me a story, one that's far too familiar to the Indigenous population of Minnesota and beyond. A company led by Thrive Behavioral Health Network CEO Jeff Bradley took something that matters to him and others — all without remorse, it seems.

Sohm is a member of the Lake Superior Band of Ojibwe, Bois Forte tribe, and the former co-chair of the American Indian Mental Health Advisory Council. He has dedicated a portion of his life to advocating for culturally sensitive mental health treatment for the Indigenous community.

Nearly a decade ago, he and other Indigenous advocates with the Arrowhead Behavioral Health Initiative (ABHI) created a mental health crisis home in Duluth called Birch Tree Center.

Members of three tribes — Bois Forte, Fond du Lac and Grand Portage — participated in the process. But Bradley has started a new center — with the same name — and forced ABHI to regroup and rebuild, all with a different name.

"The decision by Mr. Bradley is typical of white privilege and the colonial mind set toward Anishinaabe peoples since early contact," Sohm told me.

They arrived at the name, Sohm said, after they found animals and a birch tree with seven rings on the land as they walked. There was symbolic meaning, he said, and a ceremony was initiated to solidify that name.

"It's a beautiful building and people can stay a couple of days or just talk to someone," said Sue Abderholden,executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Minnesota.

Bradley's organization, which has been the provider for the original Birch Tree Center, knew that the name of the first facility had just lapsed in the Secretary of State's registry. But that fact shouldn't distract from the truth: the name of the original center is something Indigenous tribal members created and should own. Bradley disagreed, even as Sohm and others made an emotional plea to him in multiple in-person meetings.

I don't understand. With Bradley's intimate knowledge of the center's significance, why wouldn't he choose another name? I asked him that directly. His initial response was clearly one of those statements created when the public relations team and the lawyers meet over sandwiches and lattes.

"For nearly a decade, Thrive has been the trusted, licensed provider for Birch Tree Center," he wrote. "We take great pride in our role as stewards of the program's operations, striving for the utmost quality of service, the ongoing professional development of our staff, and maintaining strong client relationships. We continue to be committed to sustaining a professional and respectful relationship with the community."

Yeah, I'm not a rookie, man, so I asked him again, more directly, about the name.

"The Birch Tree Center name was the product of a formal naming committee of 10 members in the fall of 2013 which consisted of two Thrive representatives and members of the community including 3 tribal representatives," he wrote. "Other members of the community were encouraged to submit suggested names and ultimately the name was selected based on a majority vote."

I have to pause here and acknowledge my bias. I don't like bullies. In school, I wasn't a fighter, but I was never afraid to challenge the kids who harassed other kids just because they felt like they could.

During a ninth-grade study hall, one of my classmates — a big kid who wore tank tops and heavy chains — stood over a friend and tried to intimidate him. I jumped out of my seat, pushed him in the chest and let him know I was ready. He backed down.

Bullies often do.

This development with Birch Tree Center feels like an act of bullying.

I don't care about the details and the legal maneuvering that allowed Bradley's company to start a new center with the same name as the one that means so much to Sohm and others. I care that he does not seem concerned about the pain I heard in Sohm's voice.

He's hurt.

The oppression of Indigenous people throughout the history of this country has involved operations to take their land, eradicate their traditions and history and, yes, erase their names.

I don't know Bradley personally. And I have no critique of his company. I support all professionals and organizations that work to address mental health challenges, especially those in communities of color.

As someone who has advocated for mental health support within those communities, however, Bradley seems to lack the most important quality any leader should have as he discussed the Birch Tree Center name with tribal members: empathy.

"We know the decision to take the name was wrong," Sohm said.

I just wish Bradley knew that, too.

Myron Medcalf is a local columnist for the Star Tribune and recipient of the 2022 Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award for general column writing.