An Garagiola & "Misplaced Trust" Team Awarded the 2025 Richard LaCourse Award in Investigative Journalism
An Garagiola, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, MPP, is a mother, PhD candidate in American studies, researcher, and writer born and raised in the Twin Cities. An’s dissertation focuses on the intersection of Indigenous research sovereignty and policy. She serves as the Research Scientist in the Office of American Indian Health at MDH, where she works to Indigenize wellness research, identify sources of holistic well-being, and influence systems change through a cultural framework. As a mixed-race Anishinaabekwe of Ojibwe and European descent, An’s work blossoms from relational and place-based roots. An was UMN’s coordinator for the TRUTH Project (Towards Recognition and University-Tribal Healing) and co-author on "Misplaced Trust," where her research unearthed Minnesota’s system of land speculation and wealth transfer from Native Nations that continues to impact American Indian wellness. She is passionate about designing plans that help systems become more equitable, sustainable, and accessible for people who institutions continue to marginalize.
About the award
The Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) has selected Grist as the recipient of the 2025 Richard LaCourse Award for Investigative Journalism, which honors groundbreaking work by journalists who serve as community watchdogs using innovative storytelling and reporting tools. Special consideration is given to journalism that helps Indigenous communities understand and address pressing issues.
The 2025 Special Awards Selection Committee selected Grist for its “Misplaced Trust” investigation series, which revealed how land-grant universities continue to profit from more than 8.3 million acres of land taken from 123 Indigenous nations through the Morrill Act of 1862. This deeply reported series traced the legacy and ongoing impacts of these land transfers, exposing how universities have benefited financially while tribes were dispossessed and excluded from decision-making.
Led by Indigenous and allied journalists, “Misplaced Trust” combined archival research, data analysis and on-the-ground reporting to illuminate the historical and contemporary consequences of land expropriation. The series has fueled national conversations about restitution, university accountability and Indigenous sovereignty.
