North Star Voices: Breaking Barriers Thru-Paddling

Learn about thru-paddling the Mississippi River with educator and outdoor adventure guide, Cory Maria Dack.

An Indigenous Latina who was born in Ecuador and raised in Northern Minnesota, Dack canoed the entire Mississippi River from source-to-sea during the winter months of 2022 and 2023. In this talk, Dack will share experiences and perspectives from her 134-day journey from the headwaters of Itasca all the way to the Gulf of Mexico. The journey highlighted the need to bridge equity gaps in the outdoors for women of color. Dack will share about her adventure, what she learned on the journey, and why decolonizing thru-paddling is important to her.

Dack has been guiding canoe trips in the BWCA since 2007 and has spent the last few years leading eco-tourism and adventure trips through Costa Rica, Patagonia, and Ecuador. In the United States, Dack works alongside Native American leaders to advocate for Environmental Justice on the Mississippi River and beyond.

This event is free to the public and will begin with Dack's presentation followed by a Q&A session. The talk starts at 2:00 PM in the 3M Auditorium. Registration is recommended, but not required.

If you're unable to attend, the event is also accessible virtually via Zoom: https://mnhs-org.zoom.us/j/89607571519

Funding for this program is provided in part by the Emily Anne Staples Tuttle Fund.

Host or Publisher Minnesota Historical Society