Historic boarding school moment, Indigenous food sovereignty inspiration, and elevating Native American heritage
VNN Weekly Digest Month October 21-27
Here’s a look at the week’s top stories:
President Biden issues formal apology for Indian boarding schools
(GILA RIVER INDIAN RESERVATION) As Native American communities across the United States continue to feel the effects of Indian boarding schools more than two centuries later, President Joe Biden took a historic step to rectify the damage.
On Friday, President Biden issued the first ever formal apology from a U.S. President for the injustices caused by the federal government’s Indian boarding school policies.
Oklahoma-born food star champions food sovereignty in Tulsa
(OKLAHOMA) Born in Bartlesville, Chef and TV celebrity Pyet DeSpain returned to Indian Country on Thursday to speak at the Indigenous Food Sovereignty Summit.
The free summit, presented by Feeding America, Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, and Hunger Free Oklahoma, highlighted work being done to address Native food insecurity and the important role of food in Indigenous culture.
Multimillion-dollar Dream Keepers Park renovation to elevate Tulsa's Native American heritage
(OKLAHOMA) Formerly Veterans Park, the public space at 21st and Boulder was renamed Dream Keepers Park in 2021 to honor Tulsa’s Native American history.
“Tulsa doesn't have any sort of cultural destination for Native Americans,” said Cheryl Cohenour, a Cherokee Citizen and Chair of the Greater Tulsa Area Indian Affairs Commission (GTAIAC). “People come to town and they want to see something Native American there really isn't anything. There are no statues or monuments, very few murals that even have a Native American flare to them so we decided that that was something that we really wanted to focus on if we were going to raise money to improve the park.”
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WEATHER ACROSS AMERICA
(NATIONAL) Increasing precipitation chances, including mountain snow, plus much cooler temperatures and gusty winds for the West, much above average, record-tying/breaking warmth for portions of the Plains and Midwest, and showers and thunderstorms for the Great Lakes.
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