In January, several leaders from the Air Force Sustainment Center visited Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s Eagle Aviary and toured the grounds of Iron Horse Industrial Park. AFSC Executive Director Dennis D’Angelo looks forward to forging a trusting relationship between two government and economic entities that creates a legacy.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation supported local efforts to bring holiday cheer to Tribal members and others in the community. From toy drives to distributing food baskets, employees eagerly worked to share their giving spirit with others.
On today’s episode, we’re talking with an artist whose work proclaims the history of Potawatomi homeland along the Chicago River and visit CPN House of Hope’s first Jump Start Day, designed to bring domestic violence and abuse services and information to the community in a positive and educational way.
The Kwek Society, founded in 2018 by CPN District 2 Legislator and humanitarian immigration lawyer Eva Marie Carney, is a nonprofit organization addressing period poverty in Indian Country. In 2022, the organization surpassed 1,000,000 supplies delivered, expanded partnerships and received notable media coverage of their work.
The University of Oklahoma’s Ruggles Native American Music Series recently invited Citizen Potawatomi Nation’s women’s drumming group, De’Wegen Kwek (Our Women’s Drum), to share traditional and contemporary Potawatomi singing and drumming. De’Wegen Kwek was the first group comprised entirely of women to be featured in the Ruggles series.
A desire to serve citizens and improve his community inspired Patrol Officer Marcus Burris to seek a career in law enforcement. After joining the CPN Police Department in 2020, he continues to find fulfillment in community engagement and values the partnerships CPNPD has with other law enforcement in the area.
Citizen Potawatomi Nation District 7 Legislator Mark Johnson spent more than 40 years as a firefighter in California. In early September 2022, Fresno County named him the recipient of the Public Safety Hero Award as one of the 2022 State of the County Front Line Hero Honorees for his leadership at Shaver Lake, which was nearly destroyed by the fifth-largest fire in California history in 2020.
The Tribe’s partnership with the county on critical area infrastructure recently brought phase one of an improvement project on Hardesty Road to completion.
Following a career of activism leading to the recognition of Juneteenth as a federal holiday, Opal Lee’s next project is a National Juneteenth Museum in Fort Worth, TX. Keen to tell the story of emancipation from every perspective, Lee visited Tribal headquarters in August to discuss the unique history of slavery and emancipation in Indian Territory.
The CPN House of Hope held their very first Color Fun Run last month to kick off National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The 1K race provided information to participants about what domestic violence is, who is affected, and what services can be offered to provide safety and prevent future abuse.