Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine

On today’s show, we hear from two Indian Education staff who are passionate about serving students in the ISD318 school district located in Itasca County, in the heart of Ojibwe country. Host Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) is exploring how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the current pandemic health crisis.

Show Notes

On today’s show, we hear from two Indian Education staff who are passionate about serving students in the ISD318 school district located in Itasca County, in the heart of Ojibwe country. Host Leah Lemm (Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe) is exploring how Indian Country in MN is responding and adapting to the current pandemic health crisis.

We hear from Jessica Bobrowski (Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa) is the program coordinator for ISD 318 Indian Education and Ella Cummings is a Student Advocate at the Grand Rapids High School. Jessica and Ella share different ways they and their colleagues have risen to meet all the changes and challenges of the pandemic, so students can thrive even as school life has been changed and disrupted. 

The goal of Indian Education is to introduce Ojibwe culture and history and provide hands-on learning experiences for all students, and Jessica and Ella explain how incorporating the Seven Grandfather teachings of Wisdom, Love, Respect, Bravery, Honesty, Humility, and Truth has helped raise up all students, both Native and Non-Native in their schools and classrooms. 

Plus, Governor Tim Walz reflects on the last year: the many losses and challenges, and how far we’ve come to get to this point where now more than one million Minnesotans have received their vaccine.

Creators and Guests

CP
Producer
Cole Premo
LL
Producer
Lean Lemm

What is Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine?

In Native Lights, people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce - a.k.a. Minnesota - tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community. These are stories of joy, strength, history, and change from Native people who are shaping the future and honoring those who came before them.

Native Lights is also a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities.

Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund. Online at https://minnesotanativenews.org/