According to news reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement has greatly reduced their operations in the Minneapolis area, and while much of the focus has been on that location, what is the situation in Montana, and specifically here in Gallatin County?

After reading a guest column written on behalf of the Community Rapid Response here in Bozeman, and of a suit brought by four Gallatin County residents against The Gallatin County Commission and the Gallatin County Sheriff, we asked local concerned citizens and members of the Community Rapid Response, Ita Killeen and Julia Shaida, to help answer some of our questions. We spoke with them via Zoom on May 21, 2026.

We were delighted to be joined by Former Congresswoman, Carolyn Maloney, who served in Congress from 1993 to 2023, representing the East Side of New York. Today and in Congress, she is a top champion for the Equal Rights Amendment, and is widely recognized for her leadership in women’s rights, consumer protection, and government accountability. She is an Eleanor Roosevelt Distinguished Leader in Residence at the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College. In 1993, while teaching a leadership course at Hunter College, the class developed a national ERA petition, Sign4ERA.org, that now has over 160,000 signers. She then founded the non-profit, http://ERA-NOW.org, that is working to increase the petition to 1 million by the end of 2026. The mission of ERA NOW is to pass an ERA Joint Resolution in Congress, that will recognize the ERA as ratified and eliminate any arbitrary time limit.

We spoke with the Honorable Carolyn Maloney via Zoom on May 6, 2026 to tell us about the Driving the Vote for Equality Tour, in which she and others on her team are retracing the 1916 Driving the VOTE for Women, in which Alice Burke and Nell Richardson embarked on a daring and unprecedented cross-country journey advocating for women’s suffrage. Before the nineteenth amendment enshrined American women’s right to vote in 1920, it was legal in only a few states. Montana legislated votes for women in 1914, and then elected Jeannette Rankin as the first woman to serve in Congress in 1916. Meanwhile, trailblazing suffragists, Alice and Nell, loaded up a yellow Saxon automobile and embarked on a state-by-state campaign for women’s voting rights. Long before the modern highway system streamlined car travel, they drove a grueling 10,700 miles over half a year, traversing some of the roughest roads in America. Backed by the Saxon Motor Car Company, and fueled by their own indomitable spirits, they advocated for women’s suffrage in every town along the way, including Bozeman. In 1920, the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was ratified, which stated: The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.
Then in 1923, The first version of The Equal Rights Amendment was proposed by suffragist leader, Alice Paul. It stated, “Men and women shall have equal rights throughout the United States and every place subject to its jurisdiction.” It wasn’t until 1972, though, that an Equal Rights Amendment passed overwhelmingly in The Congress, and was sent to the states for ratification. It stated simply: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” In the first year, 22 states ratified it. But then progress slowed, as opposition to it was organized.
When the extended deadline for ratification arrived on June 30, 1982, the Equal Rights Amendment was three states shy of the necessary 38 states for full ratification.
It wasn’t until January, 2020, that the state of Virginia made history by becoming the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. With this monumental achievement, the attention is now directed to the fight for Congress to remove the deadline. Sister bills are active in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Towards this end, The Driving the Vote for Equality Tour will be in Bozeman at the Extreme History Project on Wednesday morning, May 13th, with various events to begin at 8 am.

Below are states that have (and have not) ratified the ERA.

The Driving the Vote for Equality Tour will be in Bozeman at the Extreme History Project at 234 E.. Mendenhall on Wednesday morning, May 13th, with various events to begin at 8 am.

And speaking of the Extreme History Project, you can hear the wonderful talk they sponsored at the Museum of the Rockies in 2018 by Western Heritage Center Director, Kevin Kooistra, titled  Hazel Hunkins of Billings: Protesting at the White House, 1917–19, here: https://kgvm.org/show/hazel-hunkins-of-billings-protesting-at-the-white-house-1917-19/#more-5137

Forty years ago, in 1985, composer, Ann Phillips, created Bending Toward the Light, a Jazz Nativity, in New York City, where it’s been performed each year since. 30 years ago, Beth Ann Kennedy began directing that New York production of Bending Toward the Light, and has been doing it every year since. Two years ago she directed and produced and Ann Phillips conducted the Montana premiere here in Bozeman to wild appreciation. This December 4th, 7th and 11th, 2025, at Hope Lutheran Church, Beth Ann Kennedy produces and directs it again, each performance highlighting different community organizations, as you’ll hear in this interview with Beth Ann Kennedy, recorded via Zoom on November 24, 2025.

There will be three performances at Hope Lutheran Church on the evening of Thursday, Dec. 4th at 7; 4pm on Sunday, December 7; and 7pm on Thursday December 11th.

You can find out more or get tickets at https://www.jazznativity.org/bozeman

We begin this edition with the words of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt as he signed the Social Security Act into law on August 14, 1935. In celebration of the 90th anniversary of its enactment, Big Sky 55+, an organization composed of Montanans 55 years old and over, which works to bring people of all ages together to work on solutions that make life better for Montanans of all ages, is sponsoring a ten-stop road tour that will take place between August 11th and August 14th. As part of this celebration, National expert on Social Security, Alex Lawson, who is the Executive Director of Social Security Works, will be speaking in Bozeman, MT on the actual date of the 90th anniversary at noon, on August 14, 2025, in the Masonic Lodge at 14 S. Tracy. He will speak about the successes of the program, as well as the very real threats to accessing it; and the harm occurring to the system that disproportionately affects rural people.

We invited Alex Lawson to join us on Ecotones, and we spoke with him on July 29, 2025 via Zoom.

A tenant’s right to legal counsel in case of eviction is a civil matter, and so is not guaranteed under either the Montana or U. S. Constitutions.

Bozeman Tenants United is seeking to change that in Bozeman. They are asking the Bozeman City Commission to allocate a sum from the city budget to allow such tenants who cannot afford legal counsel to provide them one.

We spoke with Bozeman Tenants United’s Olive Sohn about this on April 22, 2025.

If 25% of the registered voters in the City of Bozeman sign their petition, and the total number signing is 7,128 or more, the vote to modify Bozeman Municipal Code (BMC), Chapter 16 (Environment and Health) will appear on the November 2024 ballot. If a majority of voters vote for this initiative at that election, it will become law here in Bozeman, that the distribution of polystyrene foam food-ware and packing materials, and single-use plastic carryout bags at retail sales establishments will be prohibited. Terry is one of the organizers who are collecting signatures, hoping for at least 8,000 signatures by the July 15th deadline. We wanted to learn more about this, so we invited Terry Quatrarro and her colleague, June Safford, to tell us more about it. We spoke with them on June 17, 2024 in the Beyond the Deep End Studios.

You can find out more by going to: https://www.mtplasticfree.com

You can read the petition and the Initiative here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/661e9f488497e644e735f54f/t/6650ec36aaf57d7fcc1d9840/1716579383341/52224+PETITION.pdf

This edition is a follow-up to our Ecotones, recorded on May 1st, featuring Keldon Joyner, chief organizer of the 2024 Bozeman Pride Celebration, which had required an addendum with Sheriffs Department Precinct Captain, Joe Swanson, after the bombs threats directed at Bozeman LGBTQ individuals and businesses on May 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Nonetheless, the week long Pride Celebrations began on Monday, May 27th, and ended on Sunday, June 2nd. A full day of celebration on Saturday June 1st began with a rally on the Bozeman Public Library. KGVM was there, recording the speeches, and then at the Emerson, where the lawn was ringed with resources and community organizations.

Because of security concerns, we first spoke once again with Captain Joe Swanson and Bozeman Police Chief, Jim Veltkamp, about how they had prepared for possible problems.

The rally was MC’d by Alotta Shadow, and featured A Land Acknowledgement by Mo; Bozeman Deputy Mayor, Joey Morrison; Bozeman City Liaison, Sara Rosenberg; this year’s Pride Celebration Key Organizer, Keldon Joyner/Anita Shadow; and Missoula State Representative Zoë Zephyr.

After the stirring speeches, we headed over to the Emerson to check out the scene there. What follows is a pastiche of some of the folks who had set up booths. We asked them 3 simple questions: Who are you? What is your organization, and why are you here at Bozeman Pride 2024.

From Monday, May 27th to Sunday, June 2nd, Bozeman Pride will have their 2024 Bozeman Pride Celebration events in downtown Bozeman. We spoke with Bozeman Pride organizer, Keldon Joyner on May 1st to ask him about what’s planned.

But then, on May 3rd, 4th and 5th, there were bomb threats targeting LGBTQ individuals and associated businesses, closing down parts of E. Main St and Kagy Boulevard. So, we spoke with Keldon Joyner again on May 17th for an update.

Finally, we asked Bozeman Police Department Captain Joe Swanson about the incidents and on-going investigations, as well as preparations for ensuring citizen safety.

Danielle Thomsen is founder and Enchantment Director of Random Acts of Silliness, an arts organization inspiring laughter and play in the Gallatin Valley. They build community by sparking whimsy and creativity in the young–and young at heart–through original and engaging art installations, theater productions and random acts of silliness.

As you will hear in this interview with Danielle, Random Acts of Silliness was the brainchild, or rather heart-child, of a group of friends in the early, grim days of the Covid 19 Pandemic, in the spring of 2020. While so many aspects of community were disrupted and disconnected, they put into effect their beliefs that:

Everyone should have ACCESS to arts experiences.
Art that creates a feeling of AWE – through surprise, magic, or delight – feeds the human spirit.
Whimsical art, experienced together, creates a healthier, happier, more connected COMMUNITY.
Laughter and PLAY are essential for people of all-ages. Art doesn’t need to be serious.

We spoke with Danielle Thomsen in the Beyond the Deep End studios on January 31, 2024.

You can find out more here: https://www.randomactsofsilliness.com/

Way back In 1985, New York jazz recording artist, Anne Phillips, was asked to compose a jazz Nativity.

Bending Towards the Light: A Jazz Nativity has been performed each December ever since in Manhattan, as well as more and more cities around the United States. Now, Bozeman’s own performance art mover and shaker, Beth Ann Kennedy, who has directed the New York production since 1995, is bringing The Jazz Nativity to Bozeman. On the evening of Thursday November 30 Anne’s work, Bending Towards the Light: A Jazz Nativity, will have its Montana premiere at Hope Lutheran Church, with an afternoon performance there the following Sunday, Dec. 3rd.

Charles Kuralt’s words from many years ago when he served as host continue to open and close the show at every performance.
AND SO WE CELEBRATE THE VICTORY  
OF LIGHT OVER DARKNESS 
WE WHO ARE BOUND TOGETHER 
THROUGH THE SPIRIT OF LOVE 
AND WHEN WE GO OUT INTO THE WORLD 
WE BECOME THE DOORS AND WINDOWS 
THROUGH WHICH THE PRESENCE OF THIS LOVE IS REVEALED 
LIKE A RADIANT LIGHT 
 IT SHINES FROM OUR EYES –  OUR WORDS –  OUR ACTS  

Then the entire cast sings
AND THE LIGHT SHINES IN THE DARKNESS 
AND THE DARKNESS HAS NEVER PUT IT OUT 
YOU ARE LIKE A LIGHT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD 
 LET YOUR LIGHT …   SHINE 

You can find out more here: https://www.jazznativity.org/

You can hear our 2019 interview with Anne Phillips here: https://forthright.media/2019/06/25/anne-phillips-born-to-be-blue/

You can hear our 2020 interview with Beth Ann Kennedy here: https://forthright.media/2020/08/28/beth-ann-kennedy-bozeman-film-celebration-bzn-international-film-festival/

Theresa Nichols Schuster, whose first novel, We Are the Warriors, was named a 2015 USA Regional Excellence Book Award Finalist in Young Adult Fiction, Western Region, grew up exploring the rivers, hills and mountains outside Billings, Montana.

She shares her passion about the many facets of nature through her writing, where she also expresses her belief in the power of each person to learn and adapt, as well as the significance of each ones’ unique story, and that history comes alive with the accounts of real people—their joys, griefs, loves, losses and triumphs. After three decades of family life and work in Wolf Point on the Fort Peck Sioux and Assiniboine Reservation in northeast Montana, she moved to Bozeman, where she continues to enjoy the gifts of the outdoors, family, friends and a little clay-work on the side.

Her latest book, Brittle Silver, was featured in a review in the Montana Quarterly. It’s a time travel adventure set in contemporary Phillipsburg and the historic mining town of 1893 Granite, Montana, high in the Flint Creek Mountains. We spoke with Theresa Nichols Schuster at the Beyond the Deep End studio on July 18, 2023.

You can find her books at Barnes and Noble here in Bozeman, Wheatgrass Books in Livingston, and The House of Books in Billings, or Amazon and Barnes and Noble on-line. You can find out more or contact Theresa Nichols Schuster at her website, tnschuster.com.

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired

.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony on June 16, 2023 of Dr. Mark Jacobson, director of the Atmosphere/Energy program at Stanford University. He is the co-founder of The Solutions Projection. He described the technological and economical feasibility to transition Montana off of fossil fuels by 2050 and supply its energy needs via water, wind, and solar (WWS). The primary barrier, he stated, was the lack of government direction to move energy policy towards WWS, as well as current government policies that continue to favor a fossil-fuel based energy system.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

Unfortunately, the first 8 minutes or so of the Zoom feed were very problematic. The inaudible portion(s) have been removed.

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony on June 16, 2023 of Youth Plaintiff, Olivia Vesovich, who is now 20 years old, but was 16 when the case was filed. She lives in Missoula, MT. She shared some of her artwork incorporating climate change as a major theme, including a piece called “Gaia” about the despair climate change makes her feel.

She also described what it was like experiencing asthma and severe allergies during the smoky summer months when she often doesn’t go outside due to debilitating symptoms like swelling and redness. “The state of Montana has an obligation to uphold our right to a clean and healthful environment,” she said. “I know they have the power to do this. I know it.”

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony on June 16, 2023 of Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist and expert on how the climate crisis affects the physical and mental health of youth. She described how children are more susceptible to the impacts of climate change due to unique characteristics like their dependency on adults, their brains and bodies still not being fully developed, and an increased exposure and cumulative toll of trauma.

“The kids have told you this week very compellingly how their world is different,” she said. “They are very aware of something called inter-generational injustices. Their world is spinning out of their control and they have first-hand experience.”

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony on June 16, 2023 of Youth Plaintiff, Lander Busse.  He is 18 now, but he was 15 when the case was first filed. He recounted some of his earliest memories of going hunting and fishing with his father in the Montana Badger-Two Medicine Wilderness, a family tradition for generations. “It just really cemented for me what I know as home and what I love and value so much,” he said.

Lander testified how wildfires and smoke affect his family. “All of this, particularly the smoke, is just a really weird post-apocalyptic experience for me,” he said. “My family spends so much of our time outside, and it ends up taking a pretty big toll on our happiness and comfort.”

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”

Since the historic Held v. State of Montana trial began on June 12, 2023, in the Lewis and Clark County District Court in Helena, MT, Judge Kathy Seeley presiding, we recorded and archived the audio to preserve the record to inform and allow listeners to hear for themselves what transpired.

In this edition we share the unedited recording of the testimony of Youth Plaintiff, Kian Tanner, from Big Fork, MT. He is 18 and was 14 when the case was filed (although he turned 15 the next day).  He testified that Montana’s increasingly hot summers and more frequent wildfires are interfering with where he feels “most at home” — the soccer pitch. He described being depressed by the multiple practices and games cancelled or cut short due to dangerous smoke. The extreme heat prevents him from competing to the best of his ability.
During the summer of 2022, the Elmo Fire scorched 21,349 acres of land to the southwest of Flathead Lake, for days the Big Fork area was dense with smoke. He described July, August and September as the fire months in Montana. He described the smoke as “a limiting factor for my childhood.”
He spoke of the impact to his family’s property with the many dead & dying trees from beetle infestations, that are no longer killed by winter cold, one of which fell on his house causing significant damage.

He said he joined the suit to try to make change for the better.

For the first time in the United States, youth plaintiffs were able to present their case in a court of law, that their inalienable constitutional rights under Article II Section 3 of the Montana State Constitution “to a clean and healthful environment and the rights of pursuing life’s basic necessities, enjoying and defending their lives and liberties, acquiring, possessing and protecting property, and seeking their safety, health and happiness in all lawful ways.” ….. were being denied and violated by the policies and actions of their government. Further, that The State was in violation of their responsibilities as required under Article IX, Environment and Natural Resources, Section 1. Protection and Improvement that “The state and each person shall maintain and improve a clean and healthful environment in Montana for present and future generations. Section 2. The legislature shall provide for the administration and enforcement of this duty. and Section 3. The legislature shall provide adequate remedies for the protection of the environmental life support system from degradation and provide adequate remedies to prevent unreasonable depletion and degradation of natural resources.”