Podcasts about united keetoowah band

In December 2023, Trey Allen Glass, a member of the United Keetoowah Band in Oklahoma, leaves his family home with two friends. This is the last time anyone in his family will see him alive. For months, no one sees or hears from Trey but, in April 2024, a former police chief discovers Trey in a well on his property after briefly interacting with Trey on the last night his family sees him. Today, Trey's cousin, Emma Lee Sanders, sits down with us for an interview. Emma walks us through the timeline of Trey's case and why, all these months later, she and her family still have concerns about the outcome of Trey's open case. Do you have a story you'd like to see covered on Floodlights? Follow us on Instagram @floodlightspod and send us a message. CONNECT WITH FLOODLIGHTS! You can follow Laura @lauraelizabethfrater You can follow On Native Ground @onnativegroundmedia You can follow Blue Thistle Media @bluethistlepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Following August's U.S. Supreme Court decision ending affirmative action, several states are rushing to rid their higher education institutions of recruitment and inclusion programs that benefit Native students. On top of that, the botched update to the FAFSA process has many families confused about their ability to pay for college in the coming academic year. Native Americans already have among the lowest college enrollment rates. Higher education advocates worry the confluence of factors might erase any recent educational attainment gains. GUESTS Secretary Miguel Cardona, U.S. Secretary of Education Cheryl Crazy Bull (Sičháŋǧu Lakota), president and CEO of the American Indian College Fund Julia Wakeford (Mvskoke and Yuchi), National Indian Education Association policy director Dr. Corey Still (citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians), senior research director at One Fire Associates, LLC

One way Indigenous cultures keep kids in line is with frightening traditional stories that have a moral or practical lesson. They include tales of children being dragged underwater for wandering too close to the sea or getting haunted by bad spirits if they don't respect their parents. We're gathering around the microphone, turning off the lights, and listening to spooky stories from Cherokee, Muskogee, Inuit, and other storytellers, with special guest host Alyssa Yáx̱ Ádi Yádi London. GUESTS Choogie Kingfisher (United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma), storyteller and 2019 Cherokee National Treasure Chris “Honka” Hill (Muskogee Creek), co-host of the Spirit Talkers Podcast

Amy is joined by Dr. Farina King to discuss truths of American genocide and explore the tragic history behind Native American boarding schools.Farina King, a citizen of the Navajo Nation, is the Horizon Chair of Native American Ecology and Culture and Associate Professor of Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma. She received her Ph.D. at Arizona State University in History. King specializes in twentieth-century Native American Studies, especially Indigenous experiences in boarding schools. She is the author of The Earth Memory Compass: Diné Landscapes and Education in the Twentieth Century, and co-author with Michael P. Taylor and James R. Swensen of Returning Home: Diné Creative Works from the Intermountain Indian School. She is one of the series editors for the Lyda Conley Series on Trailblazing Indigenous Futures of the University Press of Kansas, and she co-hosts the Native Circles podcast with Sarah Newcomb. She is the past President of the Southwest Oral History Association (2021-2022). Previously, between 2016 and 2022, she was Associate Professor of History and affiliated faculty of Cherokee and Indigenous Studies at Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, in the homelands of the Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees. She also directed and founded the NSU Center for Indigenous Community Engagement.

Social connections and career networking are two of the top reasons college students seek out fraternities and sororities. Greek life supporters also say they offer mentorship, academic support, and life-long friendships. Native fraternities and sororities began in the mid 1990s and also offer a chance for Native students to connect with each other and draw support from shared cultural values. Today on Native America Calling, we'll speak with Mardella Richardson (member of the Lumbee Tribe of NC), national president of Alpha Pi Omega, and Destiny Hutson (Cheyenne and Arapaho), vice president and historian of the Theta Chapter (Northeastern State University) of Alpha Pi Omega, as well as Dr. Corey Still (citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians), member on the national governance board for Iota Gamma.

Social connections and career networking are two of the top reasons college students seek out fraternities and sororities. Greek life supporters also say they offer mentorship, academic support, and life-long friendships. Native fraternities and sororities began in the mid 1990s and also offer a chance for Native students to connect with each other and draw support from shared cultural values. Today on Native America Calling, we'll speak with Mardella Richardson (member of the Lumbee Tribe of NC), national president of Alpha Pi Omega, and Destiny Hutson (Cheyenne and Arapaho), vice president and historian of the Theta Chapter (Northeastern State University) of Alpha Pi Omega, as well as Dr. Corey Still (citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians), member on the national governance board for Iota Gamma.

Today's show includes a review of the week's news in Arkansas. Plus, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians names a delegate to congress. Also, a report on construction activity and river traffic, local art, an upcoming exhibition at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts and more.

Ernestine Berry shares parts of her journey seeking the history of her people, the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees, and on becoming the founding Director of the UKB John Hair Cultural Center and Museum (JHCCM). Ernestine was pivotal in the establishment of the JHCCM in 2011, which is dedicated to sharing Keetoowah culture and history with the Keetoowah community and the public. She earned a master's degree in education administration from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, and a master's degree in museum studies from the University of Oklahoma. Berry focuses on researching and sharing tribal history and culture, growing the tribal archives, and helping revitalize the Keetoowah language. On this episode we are also joined by guest co-host, Evelyn Castro Cox. Evelyn is CHamoru (also known as Chamorro), born on the beautiful island of Guåhan (Guam – island territory of the United States) and now lives in Oklahoma.  You can learn more about her at NativeCirclesPodcast.com. Additional ResourcesJohn Hair Cultural Center and Museum - https://www.ukb-nsn.gov/john-hair-cultural-center-museumNative Nations Center at University of Oklahoma - https://www.ou.edu/nativenationscenterTHPO with Sheila Bird (Podcast) - https://www.buzzsprout.com/1922460

Liza Black is a citizen of Cherokee Nation. Cherokees have three federally recognized tribes: Eastern Cherokee Band of Indians, United Keetoowah Band, and Cherokee Nation. Cherokee Nation claims Black as a citizen. Cherokee homelands are in the Southeast of what is now called the US, but most of our tribe was forcibly relocated to Indian Territory in the 1830s. Currently at UCLA, Black is completing her book manuscript: How to Get Away with Murder: A Transnational History of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. How to Get Away with Murder provides seven case studies of women and girls, including one trans woman. Although at UCLA, Black remains an Assistant Professor of History and Native American and Indigenous Studies at Indiana University where she is slated to be tenured in spring 2022. In 2020, Black published Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film, a deeply archival book making the argument that mid-century Native people navigated the complexities of inhabiting filmic representations of themselves as a means of survivance. Black has received several research grants over her career, including the pre-, doc and post-doc fellowships from the Ford Foundation; the Institute of American Cultures at UCLA fellowship; and the Cherokee Nation Higher Education Grant. Website: https://www.lizablack.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/_liza_black Picturing Indians: Native Americans in Film https://www.amazon.com/Picturing-Indians-Native-Americans-1941-1960/dp/149623264X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2YKNT0MQ6KIII&keywords=liza+black&qid=1667432077&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIwLjAwIiwicXNhIjoiMC4wMCIsInFzcCI6IjAuMDAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=liza+black%2Caps%2C132&sr=8-1

Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley, Ph.D., is a farmer, activist/scholar, distinguished speaker, teacher and wisdom keeper who addresses a variety of issues concerning American culture, faith/spirituality, justice, race/diversity, regenerative farming, our relationship with the earth and Indigenous realities. He graduated from Asbury Seminary with a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies in 2010. His expertise has been sought in national venues such as Time Magazine, The Huffington Post and Christianity Today. Dr. Woodley currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture at Portland Seminary. Dr. Woodley was raised near Detroit, Michigan and is a Cherokee descendent recognized by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. He co-hosts the Peacing it all Together podcast with Bo Sanders. Dr. Woodley and his wife are co-sustainers of Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice and Eloheh Farm & Seeds, a regenerative teaching center and farm in Yamhill, Oregon. The Woodleys have been innovators and activists for over three decades. They have four grown children and six grandchildren. He has authored nine books, all of which we'll link to in the show notes, in case you want to grab a copy. In today's conversation we talk about how he came to know Jesus, Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice and Eloheh Farm and Seeds. We talk about his books and what we can learn from indigenous wisdom. Let's listen!

In this episode, Laura and Cordelia, discuss Cordelia's experiences as a graduate student, as a contestant in the Miss Indian World Pageant, and as a Remembering Our Sisters fellow. Cordelia has taken part in a lot of cool opportunities and she has some great advice for other Native people. Cordelia Falls Down is a member of the Apsáalooke Nation and United Keetoowah Band. Her name is Biabaashíalebaaxpáash which translates to “Sacred Dream Woman” given to her by her grandfather Art Alden, a Vietnam veteran. Cordelia is from the Crow reservation of Montana but currently resides in Norman, OK where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Masters in Tribal Governance and Policy at the University of Oklahoma. Her area of emphasis focuses on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit +, Indigenous methodologies, and community planning. She is currently a Fellow at the Center for Native American Youth at the Aspen Institute where she has served roles as a Remembering Our Sisters Fellow, Democracy is Indigenous organizer, and cultural preservation ambassador.

In this episode from Morning Prayer on June 1, 2022 we are joined by friends Randy and Edith Woodley from Eloheh. “Eloheh” (pronounced Ay-luh-hay) is a Cherokee Indian word meaning harmony, wholeness, abundance and peace.  Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley (PhD, Asbury Theological Seminary) is recognized as a Cherokee descendent by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. Edith Woodley is a speaker/mentor on issues concerning Native American Spirituality and Creation. As a full-time mother, grandmother, and farmer, she has developed a unique relationship with the land and insights concerning how to raise a family on a small farm. For more information on Randy and Edith Woodley, visit them on Eloheh.org To check out what RLC is up to, please visit us www.redletterchristians.org  Follow us on Twitter: @RedLetterXians Instagram: @RedLetterXians Follow Shane on Instagram: @shane.claiborne Twitter: @ShaneClaiborne Common Hymnal information: https://commonhymnal.com/   

QUESTION PRESENTEDWhether a state has authority to prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes against Indians in Indian country.Date Proceedings and OrdersSep 17 2021 | Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due October 21, 2021)Sep 22 2021 | Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, State of OklahomaOct 20 2021 | Motion to extend the time to file a response from October 21, 2021 to November 22, 2021, submitted to The Clerk.Oct 21 2021 | Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including November 22, 2021.Oct 21 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Environmental Federation of Oklahoma, Inc., et al filed.Oct 21 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Cities of Tulsa and Owasso, Oklahoma filed.Oct 21 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Texas, et al.Oct 21 2021 | Brief amici curiae of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, et al. filed.Oct 29 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Cherokee Nation filed.Nov 15 2021 | Brief of respondent Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta in opposition filed.Nov 16 2021 | Brief amicus curiae of Muscogee (Creek) Nation filed.Nov 18 2021 | Brief amici curiae of Chickasaw Nation and Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma filed.Nov 19 2021 | Application (21A168) to file reply brief in excess of word limits, submitted to Justice Gorsuch.Nov 22 2021 | Response of Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta to application filed.Nov 29 2021 | Application (21A168) denied by Justice Gorsuch.Dec 08 2021 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/7/2022.Dec 08 2021 | Reply of petitioner Oklahoma filed. (Distributed)Jan 10 2022 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/14/2022.Jan 18 2022 | DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/21/2022.Jan 21 2022 | Petition GRANTED limited to Question 1 presented by the petition. The case will be set for argument in the April 2022 argument session. Petitioner's brief on the merits is to be filed on or before Monday, February 28, 2022. Respondent's brief on the merits is to be filed on or before Monday, March 28, 2022. The reply brief is to be filed in accordance with Rule 25.3.Feb 09 2022 | Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner Oklahoma.Feb 09 2022 | Blanket Consent filed by Petitioner, OklahomaFeb 10 2022 | Blanket Consent filed by Respondent, Victor Manuel Castro-HuertaFeb 22 2022 | Motion to dispense with printing the joint appendix filed by petitioner GRANTED.Feb 28 2022 | Brief of petitioner Oklahoma filed.Mar 07 2022 | Brief amici curiae of The Oklahoma District Attorneys Association, et al. filed.Mar 07 2022 | Brief amici curiae of Texas, et al. filed.Mar 07 2022 | Brief amici curiae of Environmental Federation of Oklahoma, Inc., et al. filed.Mar 07 2022 | Brief amicus curiae of Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police filed.Mar 07 2022 | Brief amicus curiae of Citizens for Equal Rights Foundation filed.Mar 07 2022 | Brief amicus curiae of City of Tulsa, Oklahoma filed.Mar 07 2022 | Motion for leave to file appendix to amicus curiae brief under seal filed by City of Tulsa, Oklahoma.Mar 15 2022 | ARGUMENT SET FOR Wednesday, April 27, 2022.Mar 16 2022 | Record requested from the Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma, and also from the Tulsa County District Court.Mar 22 2022 | Record received from the Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma. (1 Box)Mar 23 2022 | CIRCULATEDMar 28 2022 | Record received from the U.S. District Court for Tulsa County. (1 Box)Mar 28 2022 | Brief of respondent Victor Manuel Castro-Huerta filed. (Distributed)Apr 01 2022 | Brief amicus curiae of National Congress of American Indians filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Brief amicus curiae of United States filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Brief amici curiae of Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Seminole Nation of Oklahoma filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Brief amici curiae of Federal Indian Law Scholars and Historians filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Brief amici curiae of Former United States Attorneys Michael Cotter, et al. filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Brief amici curiae of National Indigenous Women's Resource Center, et al. filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Brief amici curiae of The Navajo Nation, et al. filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Brief amicus curiae of National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Brief amicus curiae of United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma filed. (Distributed)Apr 04 2022 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae, for divided argument, and for enlargement of time for oral argument filed.Apr 14 2022 | Motion of City of Tulsa, Oklahoma for leave to file an appendix to an amicus curiae brief under seal GRANTED.Apr 14 2022 | Motion of the Solicitor General for leave to participate in oral argument as amicus curiae, for divided argument, and for enlargement of time for oral argument GRANTED.Apr 15 2022 | Reply of petitioner Oklahoma filed. (Distributed)★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

In this episode, Kelsie and Brooke learn from Dr. Farina King about the Cherokee National Female Seminary Alumnae and Native American women trailblazers. King is an Associate Professor of History at Northeastern State University, Tahlequah, in the homelands of the Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah Band of Cherokees. She is an affiliate of the Cherokee and Indigenous Studies Department and the Director of the NSU Center for Indigenous Community Engagement. She is the President of the Southwest Oral History Association and a wealth of knowledge. We are so grateful to learn from her. Support our work at www.patreon.com/remedialherstory Find lesson plans at http://www.remedialherstory.com Educators! Get professional development credit for listening to our podcast! Head to our website and complete the form and we will send you your certificate. https://www.remedialherstory.com/podcast-pd-certificate.html --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/remedialherstory/support

TranscriptRickey: Hello, and welcome back to The Research Park Chronicles. I'm your host, Rickey McCallum, and throughout this podcast, I'm going to lead you on a journey through the gateway to collaboration. We talked about what a research park does in the last episode, and today, we're going to dive into how one came to be here in Knoxville, Tennessee, and what it's already accomplished. This modern research park at the University of Tennessee would have never been possible without the vision of one influential scholar. But more on that in just a minute.To fully appreciate and understand UT's Research Park, it's important to start by looking back in time to understand the land's Native American roots. At one corner of the University of Tennessee Research Park lies a serene bank of the Tennessee River. As researchers, we're always focused on developing new and exciting projects, but every now and again, it's worth taking a moment to pause and reflect.As we look over the waterway, Sequoia Hill stands in the distance. And with the familiar sounds of running a creek and birds chirping, it's easy to forget that behind us is a collection of modern buildings that make up UT's Research Park. What was this campus like before these buildings were built, before it was a dairy farm, and before the city had ownership of the property, back hundreds and even thousands of years ago, at a time when the land was inhabited by Native Americans? For that answer, I asked Tom Rogers, the current President and CEO of the University of Tennessee Research Park, who knows quite a bit about the site's ancient history.Tom: The site itself is 200 acres, but as they did the environmental scans required to get the development underway, only 75 acres of that 200 acres is really developable. The rest of it is down near the river and has been preserved in perpetuity because of its archeological significance. As they did that original archeological investigation, they actually found artifacts that date back to 6000 BC.Rickey: The university works with Dr. Candace Hollenbeck, a professor of archeology at UT, to help preserve that history and culture, and so we decided to visit her in her element on site at the Research Park to learn a little bit more. And to help us put this area into its historical context, Dr. Hollenbeck starts at the beginning.Candace: Here in East Tennessee, pretty much anything flat next to a river is going to have several thousand years—five to ten thousand years—of occupation on it. That's the case here, too.Rickey: Dr. Hollenbeck says that this land has changed a lot over the past 10,000 years, with river movement and flooding, creating ‘build up' as she calls it.Candace: So, if we were to take a big backhoe and dig straight down right here, we could probably go down about four meters or so and maybe hit the bottom, maybe hit 10,000 years ago, or maybe not. Even going down four meters—12 feet or so—we may hit around 6000 years ago and could probably keep going. And then, river stabilized, probably around 5000 years ago or such, and that's when we start seeing people, even to 3000 years ago, and people could become more sedentary.Rickey: There have even been some interesting archeological finds from these digs, says Dr. Hollenbeck.Candace: There are these Mississippian time period villages down here houses, house structures, that are dotted along that area. And so those are really neat. They date to around 800 years ago or so. And so, those are probably some of the most exciting parts of it. You know, there's a little hamlet and then some individual farmsteads, homesteads in between. So, kind of imagining those communities I think is fun.Rickey: Once people started to settle at the site, we can see their history in the archeological record. Dr. Hollenbeck breaks that down for us as the riverbanks transition over into farmland over the years.Candace: Tennessee in the mid-south is one of eight to ten independent centers of domestication around the world. So, native peoples here, around 4000 years ago, domesticated a set of crops, including sunflower seeds, which we know today, squashes—a little bit earlier than 4000 years ago, even—another one called sumpweed, which is very similar to sunflower, and then [quinapod 00:04:23], which is similar to quinoa. Quinoa is the South American cousin, but people up here domesticated a similar relative of it, too. And so they settled down and became farmers around that time.Rickey: These early cultures were just one part of the history of the site. Later tribes would come to the region as well.Candace: We see some similarities and some continuities from those Mississippian cultures to the Cherokee, historical Cherokee cultures, and such, but they are also changes and things, too. It gets really complicated. But yes, a lot of shifting and a lot of movement of people, a lot of trade, even back 5000, 10,000 years ago. A lot of people moving. And we're so used to our cars and such, we forget how—we have no concept, we have no concept of how they could have relatively quickly gotten across the landscape. These rivers and creeks and such are a huge avenue as well.Rickey: Artifacts are still being discovered on site and Dr. Hollenback and her team are taking measures to help further protect them.Candace: Whether we entice students to become archeologists or not, I think just to give them that appreciation of the history and kind of have pride in it so that we can protect archeological sites like this one here. We're really lucky because we do have this overlay and UT Research Park that is committed to preserving that area.Rickey: The university is working on ways to formally recognize indigenous people and their native connection to the land upon which UT now stands, such as through a committee tasked with drafting a land acknowledgement statement. Though this is still being created, several members of the committee have begun to use this statement that, reads, “The land upon which the University of Tennessee-Knoxville is built is part of the traditional territory of the Tsalagi [Sal a ghee] peoples, now Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. The Tsoyahá [Soy Ah Hey] peoples of Yuchi, Muscogee (Creek) Nation, and Shawnee peoples (Absentee Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma, and the Shawnee Tribe).”As Dr. Hollenback has illustrated, farming is nothing new to the landscape of the park. Farming came to dominate the site for thousands of years. So, here's Tom again to tell us a little bit more about that.Tom: Back in the 1890s, this property was actually sold by the city of Knoxville to a private developer who laid out a plan for a residential development that he called Cherokee. And we think that's where the name originally came from. He actually built a bridge from what is now Sequoia Hills over into the park, and had a layout that looked very much like Sequoia Hills. This city eventually took the property back for non-payment of taxes, but the bridge stayed for nearly 40 years until it became so dilapidated that it was torn down. You can still see the abutments of the bridge on both sides of the park. So, that was an interesting beginning. The city then sold the land to the university and it became a dairy farm. That's what I remember it as when I came to this town many years ago.Rickey: The 200 acre stretch of flatland remained a dairy farm for many years. Rogers says many of the University of Tennessee alumnus first and foremost remember the land as a dairy farm.Tom: They talked about having milk delivered to their dormitories every morning from the dairy farm.Rickey: Though this old dairy farm is currently home to a burgeoning Research Park, about 75 acres of the property is being preserved and recognized due to its Native American history. The Park may also soon serve the university's mission and the public's interest by utilizing the Cherokee Landing site for educational and recreational purposes.Tom: Over a several year period of time to develop the park-like portion of the Research Park into something we hope to call Cherokee Landing to have a synergy with Volunteer Landing, and Suttree Landing, and the other areas here and in town. That would be open for recreation, as there's a greenway now, and lots of people come here and walk and ride bikes and bring their dogs on the weekends. But we'd love to have access to the water so that people can use kayaks and canoes and paddle boards. And build some structures and some ways of celebrating the Native American heritage that's here. So, on the longer range horizon, that's definitely in our plans.Rickey: This project is a collaboration between the university's Research Park and the Legacy Parks Foundation, which is helping to coordinate the development of the concept and the plan of the design for the sprawling Cherokee Landing site. At this point in our story, it might seem as though the plan for the Research Park at the University of Tennessee sprang into life overnight, but that couldn't be further from the truth. It took a lot to bring this idea to where it is today, and none of it would have been possible without the efforts of one man: Dr. David Millhorn. So, who was Dr. Millhorn?Stacey: Dr. Millhorn was my mentor. He became my friend and even kind of a father figure for me in many ways.Rickey: That's Dr. Stacey Patterson, current president of the UT Research Foundation. Dr. Millhorn passed away in 2017 and had previously served as president of the UT Research Foundation.Stacey: Many people described him as stoic and to himself, but that was only if you didn't really get to know him. Dr. Millhorn had a small circle, but once you were in that circle, you her family to him. He was the type of person that took care of the people that he worked with. He really believed that this University had the potential of any place in the world. And he had been at many different places, but Tennessee was his home, and he really believed that this was his opportunity to realize a big vision. And that's what he spent his whole time, his whole 11 years here doing.Rickey: While Tennessee may have been home. Dr. Millhorn didn't start his career at the University of Tennessee.Stacey: Dr. Millhorn had spent a number of years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he had been a department head of physiology, and then he had moved to the University of Cincinnati, where he developed the inaugural Genome Research Center with a pharmaceutical company. So, he had a vision already coming in as to what it meant for a university to work with the private sector and what that could mean for the faculty, staff, and students of the university, but more importantly, even the region in which that opportunity was taking place.Rickey: Dr. Millhorn joined the University in 2005, where he oversaw the management of science and technology programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and for much of his time, he served as Vice President of Research and Economic Development. Along the way, his responsibilities grew, becoming the Executive Vice President at the University in 2007, and later becoming the president of the UT Research Foundation in 2014. His work during this time was significant to the development of the university's research enterprise, which included, amongst other accomplishments, a contract with the US Department of Energy to manage Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a $65 million NSF grant, which is the largest of its kind during the time, to build the world's fastest supercomputer, and of course, the establishment of UT's Research Park. Throughout his career at the University, Dr. Millhorn had a vision in mind for what would ultimately become the Research Park as we know it today. Dr. Patterson describes his vision in this way.Stacey: He had a vision that we would bring in large companies that faculty could collaborate with, we could build big research programs, and we could provide opportunities for students. One of the challenges we have in this region is we educate some really top notch students, and in the graduate programs, oftentimes those students have to go to other parts of the country to get gainful employment. And so Dr. Millhorn's vision was, if we could bring those companies here, then we could offer high pay, high technology jobs right here and we could keep those best and brightest students in this region, and it would lift the whole community up.Rickey: As I'd mentioned in episode one of this podcast, university research parks are the physical locations developed and designed to foster an environment of collaboration between universities, the public and private sector, and federal research labs. In addition to the way research parks benefit local economies, research parks can also benefit their respective university systems. Let me explain.The University of Tennessee is a Tier One research university, which means it is a university that's known for world-class research, academic excellence, and exceptional student body—as Dr. Patterson noted—as well as high levels of innovation, creativity, and scholarship. Like all universities, UT looks for ways to draw in that top tier talent to the university, and in turn this benefits not only our students and faculty, but our current Park tenants, and the local community. Dr. Millhorn knew that we would need a dedicated research park with the likes of MIT, Cal Berkeley, and other universities in close proximity to major national labs to increase the recognition and prestige.But for many at the University of Tennessee, this combination of academic, community, and economic drivers was a challenge to understand at first. It took a lot of trust building to convince them that this effort was worth pursuing. Naturally, Dr. Millhorn got to work. He leveraged his many contacts and developed a very clear vision for what a collaborative space could look like.Over the early years of his time at UT, Dr. Millhorn developed a plan that would convey the case for a research park to the university and how having a dedicated research park would help the faculty at the University further develop the University, and also have a positive economic impact on the region as a result of this park. So, in addition to the development of the Research Park, a small business incubator was constructed on the Ag campus. Here, students and faculty could go to further develop their entrepreneurial endeavors, giving the university, and the public a glimpse into the future of what a collaboration could look like with a full-fledged research park. In 2009, when Dr. Patterson joined the UT system as a director of research partnerships, the case for the Research Park had already been submitted in the mind of the university and plans were already underway for the development of the Research Park property.Stacey: The concept of the UT Research Park at Cherokee Farm was actually developed by Dr. Millhorn prior to me joining his office. But I joined in 2009 right when the infrastructure project was underway and we were finishing up the master plan and development guidelines so that we could move things forward.Rickey: Development quickly became the next challenge. With the university on board for this project, they had secured a grant for more than $30 million to purchase Cherokee Farm from the state for use as the University of Tennessee Research Park. Now, the main obstacle was to get the residents of Sequoia Hills on board with the concept of trading in a cow farm for a massive research complex.Stacey: The residents were really concerned about what the differences were going to be, going from a few cows on that property to what Dr. Millhorn was envisioning as an active, thriving public-private partnership type research park. So, there was a lot of outreach, a lot of community meetings, we went to neighborhood meetings, I even did a couple of Sunday school classes at the churches that were across the neighborhood and talked about the vision of the Research Park and what it would mean to the region. And one of the things if you knew Dr. Millhorn and what he was interested in doing, he always looked out for the institution first, so it was always clear to the constituents that that this wasn't about him; this was about making the university and Knoxville, the Knoxville region, a better place for its citizens.Rickey: Dr. Millhorn stressed the value of the Research Park and its intersection with Oak Ridge National Laboratory to the residents of Sequoia Hills. To Dr. Millhorn, those who called Sequoia Hills home needed to know that the park would bring skilled workers to the town and keep Tennessee's best and brightest in their home state.Stacey: When companies come in, they think about this region. They're impressed that we have the University of Tennessee, the state's flagship research public institution here in Knoxville; we have what I consider a national treasure, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. And it's really the combination of those two institutions and the brain power that they represent that really make this region special. It makes it a special opportunity for companies to come and engage with those kinds of people and the technologies that are developed here, the opportunities.I think that Dr. Millhorn was—I'll say he was an early adopter. He saw that. He was able to see what that potential could be, and he was bought in completely and wholly. And I think the Research Park is part of that, of his vision of how those two institutions could work together to just make this region a really spectacular and special place.Rickey: Eventually the land was secured and approved by surrounding stakeholders. The university began constructing its first research park facility in 2014. Tom Rogers recalls his first time looking at the plot of land where they were planning to build.Tom: First time I drove over to see what Dr. Millhorn's vision really looked at, I was pretty much overwhelmed, wondering where people were going to park. There were beautifully laid out one-acre parcels, about 16 of them, but it wasn't logical to me where people were going to park. As we've discovered since then, the original master plan called for parking garages, about 4000 parking spaces in two parking garages.Rickey: Dr. Patterson says parking may not have been the top concern for Dr. Millhorn. For all he brought to the Research Park and the university, this was a guy that wanted to discuss big ideas rather than minutiae.Stacey: So, Dr. Millhorn is one of the biggest thinkers I've ever had the privilege of working with. He would often say, “Oh, I can't be bothered by these small things.” He wanted to be part of a big transformational things like the relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory, like the UT Research Park. He would thrive on it, and there aren't as many people in the world that can have that big vision like he does.Rickey: Oh, and the parking situation did get worked out, of course.Tom: For better or worse, we now have a PhD in parking lot and parking garage construction and finance, and they're just not feasible at this time. And so actually later on this afternoon, we're going to begin a process to update our master plan that focuses more on reality. I think there aren't 16 developable lots out here; there are probably eight or nine as you include the surface parking that goes around them. And as you also know, we're hopeful that we'll soon have three projects under construction at the same time. And so that the park is going to look a little bit different than I think it was originally envisioned.Rickey: Dr. Millhorn didn't shy away from taking a leap of faith. Dr. Patterson says that her mentor taught her the value of taking risks.Stacey: I was very privileged to be able to work side-by-side with him, hand-in-hand, really getting to understand that sometimes you have to lean forward, you have to take a little bit of risk for a big reward. And he would do that time and time again. And by taking a little risk, pushing the envelope, frankly, making people a little bit uncomfortable, doing things differently than what they've ever been done at the University before, he was able to transform this institution.Rickey: As far as risk goes, building the first building of the Research Park was one of the first challenges Dr. Millhorn and his team ran into.Between 2014 to 2015, the first building was developed at the UT Research Park. It was built as a collaboration between Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the UT Research Park. It was very aptly named the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials, or JIAM for short. The first building on site was a direct result of the collaboration between the University and ORNL, an outside organization. As Dr. Patterson points out, it was a challenge to determine where to break ground on the new building at first.Stacey: That project actually has a very interesting history. There were a lot of different people that had a lot of different ideas of where that building should be located. Some people thought it should be located at Oak Ridge, some people thought it should be located on the Knoxville campus; there's not a whole lot of room for a building that size on the Knoxville campus. But Dr. Millhorn was a real advocate for putting that Joint Institute for Advanced Material Science at the UT Research Park, to act as a catalyst to get things going, get researchers and students out at the park, get some buzz going, make sure that it was in a space that made sense.So, it was in advanced materials, which is an area that is a special area for the University of Tennessee as well as at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We have lots of joint faculty who are world-renowned experts in this space. So, he really saw that as making sense as being a catalyst and hopefully launching the Research Park in a direction where we could potentially attract private sector partners. I think that's worked, right? So, JIAM opened several years ago, and since that time, many of the companies that we've been able to attract to the park and who are interested in being at the park have some affiliation with JIAM or want to do some collaboration with the researchers that are represented by the JIAM faculty. And so I think that's really exciting.Rickey: Clearly no challenge was too big back in 2014. Dr. Millhorn left his role with the university in 2016. After Dr. Millhorn's departure in 2016, Dr. Patterson was confirmed by the UT board of trustees to assume Dr. Millhorn's former roles as Vice President for Research, and Outreach, and Economic Development, as well as President and CEO of the UT Research Foundation. The university also looked to Tom Rogers, a veteran of ORNL, to become President and CEO of the Research Park. As a result of overcoming these challenges, Tom shares with us that—Tom: The University of Tennessee is one of a half-dozen universities in the country that manage national laboratories, along with the University of California, the University of Chicago, State University of New York, and a few others. And so it's a real feather in our cap. We've seen it as we visited with prospects interested in the park to explain to them that we're a gateway for collaboration with the University, but to also be able to say, “We're able to help you leverage the resources and talents of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory as well,” will really raise some eyebrows. So, I think the relationship that UT has with the laboratory is a real asset. We're sitting today in the Joint Institute for Advanced Materials.The ‘Joint Institute' means Oak Ridge and UT. With your background at UT and mine at the laboratory, we know a lot of people and are able to help prospects that we have—companies, students, entrepreneurs—find the right people to work with at both institutions, and that's a great value proposition for this research park.Rickey: And even though Dr. Millhorn is no longer part of the institution, his legacy remains. Tom's vision for what the Research Park should be today and in the coming years is not wavering from the original vision.Tom: Another key tenet of successful university research parks around the country is embracing entrepreneurship and innovation. It's fine to work with professors and work with companies that want to collaborate with professors on research, to work with students, but it's really important to embrace young people and their ideas about the future. So, everywhere I've been, dating back to my early career days at TVA, I've been involved with small business startups, mostly on the technology side. I was involved with a great program at Oak Ridge called Innovation Crossroads.Rickey: As a result of his experience and the original vision for the Research Park, Tom has helped the Research Park launch the Spark Innovation Center, which assists early-stage tech companies with the right kind of support to become successful companies, right here in East Tennessee. Here's Tom with more about the Spark Innovation Center.Tom: We early on decided that entrepreneurship needed to be a focus out here. We've started something called the Spark Innovation Center and have six really talented young entrepreneurs growing companies here. The University is excited about that initiative. As we look to build our next building, they're going to incorporate more space for Spark in that building. I think you'll see that entrepreneurship really becomes an important part of the fabric that we're weaving here at the park.Rickey: As the park grows in size, and new buildings and partnerships get added to the park, there is a lot to be optimistic about. It's not just about the new buildings and businesses. The park is truly becoming a gateway to collaboration.Tom: My four decades plus of work has brought great relationships with the state and with TVA and others, and being involved with all of that gets the park in the middle, in the mix, for some really interesting prospects. We're in the homestretch of working with one now that would never have even thought about looking at the park, but on my first week of the job, got random call and said, “We hadn't thought about this, would you be interested in a prospect like this?” And they are a great fit for the Research Park.Rickey: Dr. Millhorn had a vision for what the park should become, but he also didn't stress too much about the details. Under Tom's leadership, the details are coming into focus and we're beginning to see where this path will take us in the next five to ten years. Tom and I reminisced about this during our conversation.Tom: Now, I think we're beginning to see some themes naturally emerge. One, of course, is advanced materials and manufacturing, with the work here at JIAM and the industry collaborations. Second is medical research because the University of Tennessee Medical Center and OrthoTennessee are building an ambulatory surgery center here and have committed to include research on the top floor of that facility. And there's a lot of interest at UT, both at UT Knoxville and at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis, about capitalizing on that opportunity.And the third, I probably can't coin as quickly as the other two. But it has to do with information technology, business analytics, supply chains, cybersecurity, that whole realm. There's just a lot of interest in the private sector, and it's some of the stronger programs at the university. So, we're seeing more and more companies saying that it really makes sense to be at the park, to be right across the river from the campus and those incredible students that they're producing. I'd say those three themes are going to emerge.There could be others as time goes on, but materials, medical research, and whatever we're going to call the analytics portion of it seemed to be the three themes that are most likely to lead us forward.[SPEAKER5: 00:28:06] I think the development of this new vision of being the gateway to collaboration with the University and ORNL has really driven the interest in what we're doing over here, far beyond what I remember it being when I was over on campus. So, I think the involvement, and the communication, and the buy-in from leadership on campus has really driven home that we have a unique opportunity to be able to develop something very special here that is going to help get our students get jobs, it's going to help build the economic development for the community of Knoxville and be able to help build this bigger ecosystem as we, kind of, move forward in the future development.Tom: I think the relationships that we are building on campus are really going to be mutually beneficial. It's pretty remarkable to see what we've been able to do in the last year with COVID. Originally, when we [headed for house 00:28:54], I was concerned that we might be dead in the water for a while. Now, I'm really looking forward to three to six months from now when we can start being face-to-face with people because we got an infrastructure built that can really, I think, accelerate the development of this park.Rickey: With Tom at the helm, the future of the UT Research Park is in good hands.When it comes to evaluating the Research Park's rich past, there is no doubt that Dr. Millhorn left a lasting impact. As Dr. Patterson puts it.Stacey: Dr. Millhorn's legacy is his vision. He was a big thinker. There was no project that was too big. There was no hurdle that you couldn't overcome.Rickey: Dr. Patterson says she knew he was the right person for the job since the beginning, as he strengthened UT's relationship with Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Now, Dr. Patterson has taken over much of the role that Dr. Millhorn had, and she is carrying on his legacy, visions, and readiness to take risks with her.Stacey: Dr. Millhorn had made the decision with his family that it was time for him to take a little bit of a step back and to transition to more of an advisor role between the University and Oak Ridge National Laboratory as the National Laboratory advisor. He actually set up an office at Oak Ridge. He was having a lot of fun thinking about the [science 00:30:13] and having some time. He used to say a lot that, “I'm going to go home for the afternoon so I can think.”Because that was really a big deal for him, to be able to have some quiet time where he could just think and make sure that all those puzzle pieces were coming together. And I think this gave him an opportunity to do that and to think about how the relationship was working, and what wasn't working, and for him to really contribute further. I have truly appreciated the opportunity to serve as the Vice President for Research, Outreach, and Economic Development for the University of Tennessee, and I certainly could not have done it without the experience that I had with my mentor and friend, David Millhorn.Rickey: Dr. Patterson says she'll remember Dr. Millhorn as the caring man that he was: A father, an army veteran, an academic, an entrepreneur, and mentor.Stacey: He was a tough nut to crack. People didn't really know that. I can't tell you how many times in the last three years that I have asked myself, “I wonder what Dr. Millhorn would do in this situation?” It may sound weird, but I kind of feel like he gives me some guidance in those moments.Rickey: For me personally, while I did not have much time with him, I do recall the first time I ever met him. The reason I can remember this so vividly is that I can remember looking at him and thinking, “He is a spitting image of my grandfather,” a man that I hadn't seen since I was ten years old. And from that moment, he and I shared a very special connection, and one that I cherish today. In remembrance of Dr. Millhorn, Dr. Patterson's goal is to make him proud of the work that we're continuing to do.Stacey: One of the things that I want to make sure that we do is I want to make sure that we make him proud, that we do push on his vision, that we are always focused on what's in the best interest of the university, and what's in the best interest of this region, and the people of this region because that was really where his heart was, was around doing what's best for others. And I want to take just a little bit of that and make sure that we're following through with that, and in some way making him proud and making sure that his family is proud of the legacy that he's left here.Rickey: He would definitely be proud. Since breaking ground on the JIAM building, the Research Park has experienced several accomplishments over the past five years, like the development of our first public-private partnership, the announcement that Volkswagen is moving their North American Innovation Hub to the Research Park, the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Spark Innovation Center, and most notably, the collaborative partnership between UT Medical Center and OrthoTennessee to develop their 93,000 square-foot ambulatory surgical center that's scheduled to open in the spring of 2022. And we're well on our way to a bright future as a research park, an economic driver, and a park for the community.On the next episode of The Research Park Chronicles we're going to be speaking with the University of Tennessee Medical Center and OrthoTennessee about the orthopedic surgical center that's coming to the Research Park, and the medical research that will be happening in this facility.Rickey: Thank you for listening to The Research Park Chronicles with Rickey McCallum. Keep up with the latest episodes by subscribing on Apple or Google podcasts, Spotify, or wherever find podcasts are found.

There are some episodes that defy description, that cover so much ground that it is difficult to describe. This conversation with theologian, poet, activist, and historian Randy Woodley is one such episode. We've said it before and we'll say it again for those in the back: evangelicalism is a dominator religion. It seeks to dominate the earth, women, black and brown bodies, those on the fringes of faith, and anything or anyone that falls outside of its white supremacist worldview, and the consequences have been deadly. Dr. Woodley points us to a wilder, freer faith rooted in our Sacred Earth and the Divine relationship we have with the planet and every living creature. In an attempt to find Shalom, Dr. Woodley dismantles dominator religion by inviting us to tap into our ancestral heritage, become one with Nature, and free ourselves from participating in systems of oppression. And just for grins, we also talk about Critical Race Theory, COVID-19, and white supremacy. This is a deep and meaningful conversation for anyone looking to decolonize their faith.Guest Bio:Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley (PhD, Asbury Theological Seminary) is recognized as a Cherokee descendent by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. He is a teacher, poet, activist, former pastor, missiologist and historian. Woodley received his baccalaureate degree from Rockmont College in Denver. He was ordained to the ministry through the American Baptist Churches in the USA in Oklahoma after graduating with a Masters of Divinity degree from Eastern Seminary (now Palmer Seminary) in Philadelphia. Randy's PhD is in intercultural studies from Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture at Portland Seminary. Woodley's books include Decolonizing Evangelicalism: An 11:59pm Conversation, The Harmony Tree: A Story of Healing and Community, Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision, and Living in Color: Embracing God's Passion for Ethnic Diversity. He has authored numerous book chapters and contributed essays and articles in compilations such as the Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics, Poverty and the Poor in the World ' s Religions, Evangelic al Post-colonial Conversations, and The Global Dictionary of Theology. Professor Woodley is active in the ongoing discussions concerning new church movements, racial and ethnic diversity, peace, racism, earth justice, Indigenous spirituality, interreligious dialogue and mission. If you enjoyed this episode, please leave us a rating and a review

Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! The second Monday of October is Indigenous Peoples' Day, and this year we are taking time to talk about the experiences and efforts of Native youth organizers when it comes to getting out the Native vote. Campus Vote Project Student Advisory Board member Kamryn Yanchick (Seminole/Mvskoke) is joined by Cordelia Falls Down (Apsáalooke /United Keetowah Band) and Brittany McKane (Mvskoke/Seminole) in this discussion covering topics such as the importance of cultural competency in voter outreach. On this Indigenous Peoples' Day, listeners are encouraged to acknowledge the land they live on (Native-land.ca) and learn about how to be a better ally to the Native community around them. Kamryn Yanchick is a proud citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and descendant of the Muscogee Nation. She is in her senior year at the University of Oklahoma studying political science and Native American studies with an emphasis in tribal governance and policy, pre-law. She first became involved in civic engagement organizing through serving multiple roles on the executive team of Oklahoma Votes at the University of Oklahoma. Currently, Kamryn is a member on the Campus Vote Project Student Advisory Board and serves as a Voter Registrar with Rock the Native Vote OKC. Brittany McKane is Mvskoke and Seminole, from Little Axe, Oklahoma. Brittany attends the University of Oklahoma and is majoring in Native American Studies and Anthropology, with a minor in Social Justice. She has served in various leadership campaigns and roles at both community and national levels. Engaging Native youth in trainings designed to activate this generation of leaders through organizational efforts is Brittany's focus today and her continued work. Brittany currently works as a teacher's aide at Sovereign Community School. You can find her on Instagram at @brittanyfaif. Cordelia Falls Down is a member of the Apsáalooke Nation and United Keetoowah Band. Her name is Biabaashíalebaaxpáash which translates to “Sacred Dream Woman” given to her by her grandfather Art Alden, a Vietnam veteran. Cordelia is from the Crow reservation of Montana but currently resides in Norman, OK where she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a minor in Native American Studies at the University of Oklahoma. She is currently in graduate school to pursue a Masters in Native American Studies-Tribal Governance and Policy. Cordelia is also active with the Center for Native American Youth, serving on both the Democracy is Indigenous council as well as the Remembering our Sisters fellowship. If you're a student and want to join the Student Voting Network, you can join us here: bit.ly/svnslack If you want to find more resources about student voting in your state, check out Campus Vote Project's nationwide database for voting information: https://www.campusvoteproject.org/ Produced by Kamryn Yanchick and Benjamin Nixon. Music and Editing by Benjamin Nixon.

Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley, PhD is an activist/scholar, distinguished teacher and wisdom keeper who addresses a variety of issues concerning American culture, faith/spirituality, justice, race/diversity, regenerative farming, our relationship with the earth and Indigenous realities. His expertise has been sought in national venues such as Time Magazine, The Huffington Post and Christianity Today. Dr. Woodley currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture at Portland Seminary. He served for several years on the Oregon Dept. of Education, American Indian/Alaska Native Advisory Council. Randy was raised near Detroit, Michigan and is a Cherokee descendent recognized by the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. Randy co-hosts the Peacing it all Together  podcast with Bo Sanders.  Author of several books include "Decolonizing Evangelicalism" which we discuss in this episode. Connect and support the work that Randy is doing: www.randywoodley.comwww.eloheh.org www.elohehseeds.comRandy lives south of Portland in Yam Hill, Oregon where he and his wife have a 10-acre farm where they house the Eloheh Center for Earth Justice. He said it is on the illegally and unethically seated land the Kalapuya People, particularly the Yamhill and Tualatin bands. The Woodleys have been in the area since 2008 and are just “enjoying climate change in Oregon” which is teaching them how to do regenerative farming under stressful conditions. “We're learning all the time.”Maggie asked Randy how he has seen the major cultural shift and what he thinks is happening and we're seeing the response to Breonna Taylor's murder, the many other lynchings [of men and women of color], and all that is going with people battling against Critical Race Theory. The book he wrote “Decolonizing Evangelicalism” with his podcast partner Bo Sanders and it came out during COVID so it hasn't really been publicized or promoted. It's written in like a conversation, and they've been taking theology and social issues ever since Bo was a seminary student of his back in 2008. They wrote the book this way both because that is how their relationship is (conversation) and in the style of one of his favorite books; “We Make the Road by Walking: Conversations on Education and Social Change” by Myles Horton and Paulo Freire. We talk about Critical Race Theory in the book; Randy says “I do it” and Bo explains it. Our book would now be banned from a number of seminaries and institutions around the country, it will not be allowed to use the book as a reference [because it uses Critical Race Theory to examine theology].Randy says Critical Race Theory is the current “bugaboo” and it is endemic of all the other right wing, white supremacist reactions to People of Color coming into their own and the popularization of the unjust deaths of members of the BIPOC community. Social media has done a lot to inform people but in our [BIPOC] communities, people have been dying unjustly for hundreds of years. “There's nothing different it's just people are finding out about it now.” It's important, Randy believes, that as we are learning [about the unjust deaths], that what we are finding is that all the systems and our country were founded in white supremacy. Randy acknowledges that there are other things behind that, including the Western worldview and patriarchy, but he says the white supremacy that founded the systems in our country—education, economic and social systems—are all bent towards the benefit and privilege of white males. “So the system itself has not really changed a lot; it looks a little more kinder than it used to under enslavement or genocide but the idea is still the same: People of color, and oftentimes women and others—the cultural or racial or gender other—are [seen as] a subcategory of humanity as opposed to white folks, especially white males of prominence.” Randy says Critical Race Theory gets at the heart of that; it says, there is a systemic problem that we have to deal with. “And a systemic problem means that all of us have to deal with it together. It's not just up to white folks or People of Color, it's like we all have to do this together in order change this system.” Randy believes that what the Right has done is taken away the ability for us to talk about that in a systemic way. “America by the way is, and we could go into the history of this as well, is one of the most individualistic nations that has probably ever existed in the history of humanity.”Randy says everyone wants to talk about whether this one person is a racist or not. “I don't even deal with that... I'm more interested in dismantling the systems that are corrupt with racism.” Randy believes that this Right reaction to everything that is going on is actually a way to stop us from talking about systemic racism. It's very akin, Randy says, to the 1840 Gag Rules when they wouldn't allow congress to talk about slavery. “It's that: you're not going to fix the problem if you can't talk about it.” It keeps the homeostasis, security and benefits for those in power. Danielle finds herself in the system. She is a licensed Mental Health therapist in the state of Washington, and she believes it's a system that is created for someone unlike her. When she is caring for a person of color and she expands her care to include the culture and community, because she is located in community, it is a threat to her profession. The psychological structure of the system…. is not created to deal with more than just the individual. She asks, “what do you do when the individual presents symptomology and harm that is happening from the system? How do I move in the world and not address the system and yet say I am caring for my client? And yet to address the system from my position its often say that you've stepped out the bounds of therapy.” She feels the bind and it's excoriating to find paths forward and to know who is safe to talk to and engage. “Being present with my clients is also, I believe for me and my location, is fighting the system that is also harming them.”Randy adds, “It's not set up to deal with intergenerational trauma.” He says, some estimate that 100% of Native folks have intergenerational trauma or post-colonial stress syndrome. African American folks have intergenerational trauma from enslavement. “It's not like these are one-time things; It is the residual from them keeps coming at us time after time after time.” Randy said it's through people like Danielle, People of Color, who are getting into places of influence and be innovative and can begin to change the system. Maggie asks what does it look like to bridge the gap between working with individuals and working with systems? She mentions she thought one interesting and thought-provoking part of his book (Decolonizing Evangelicalism) was about the idea that we have to start with “re-verbaging” some of the terms that we think we are sharing a mutual definition or understanding about, when in fact are not. She was surprised at some of the words on his list. When we thinking about the word Evangelicalism, it encompasses a long history of shifting beliefs. She asks Randy to explore and explain what he means by deconstructing and reconstructing, which he has as almost two sides to the same coin. Randy says, “I'm not going to assume anyone's age here. I wouldn't do that out of fear. But I will tell you where I'm at: I'm a baby boomer. And my generation has a lot of culpability in some of the things that are going wrong right now. But one of the things that was different in my generations, I'm on one of the younger baby boomers, is that we said we don't want our parent's paradigm. That's a bad paradigm … We were good at critiquing it but we just were very good at fixing it.” He believes one exciting thing we are seeing right now, and one of the other influences in this reaction and why we are seeing so much happen, is how the millennials are giving him a lot of hope. He said they are the first ones to come along and say, “We want a different paradigm! We don't want what was handed to us by our parents and grandparents! We don't want racism! We don't want homophobia! We don't want women to have 73 cents on the dollar and men to be paid a dollar for their wages. We don't want a dirty nasty climate changing earth.” He believes that Millennials have the communication tools to actually communicate and critique, they are great at critiquing—maybe sometimes are too cynical but I guess if that's what it takes to get there that's okay—but question is; “Are they going be able to fix it?” He does see a lot of activism coming out of millennials and it excites him because he believes that is one of the reasons we are seeing the wide-spread reaction and it's pulling those Gen Xers and Baby Boomers back in to have hope again. “Our future is depending on that. The government is not going to fix this unless we make the government fix it. And the generation that is the impetus behind this, the catalyst, is the Millennials. Maggie says it is easy to sit on one side and criticize but then not offer anything to replace it and grow it. It is the reconstructing after deconstructing then how helpful is that going to be. Randy says, “So basically we have to deconstruct everything. We have to look at every system that was created basically by—and I'm simplifying to its simplest terms—white males who sat at the table and said here's the way it's going to be for everybody. And now we need to basically over turn the table, build a new table together, and have everybody represented at that table and decide what these systems are going to be.” That reconstruction comes after the critique (deconstruction) and we see resistance to the critique in the like the resistance to critical race theory. Until we can really critique and understand it, listen to the those who have been oppressed etc., we can't move forward. “It's not something we can start from the same DNA and end up with a different child. That's not going to happen. It has to start from a new DNA.” There's no formula, and this is the scary part. Structures want formulas. They want to know what are the steps. Every step, every community, every law and every system has to become what Randy calls “organizing chaos.” He sees that chaos as a way of moving things that are out there, all the moving parts back together, and it will look different in different places with different people involved. One of the pitfalls, Randy says, is people's demand to have a basis for reconstruction. That is the scariest part and the part you have to take by faith and say, “If we're all moving together in the right direction, we're going to end up with the right thing.” But, Randy says, it's going to take everyone: insiders and outsiders, lots of diversity, so that we end up with something that is good for all of us, the common good. Danielle has been thinking from a psychological perspective about whiteness and what it takes to create the bent towards the “standard,” speaking very generally about the system that is bent towards white male privilege. She recalls a training/immersion program that she attended in the South on the subject of race. She heard a story of a lynching that was after church where entire families were in attendance. She saw a picture of a father with a hat on holding his young child, maybe 2 years old, and then with his other hand attached to another small child on the ground. Knowing from the way we are created, the way that the Creator created us, that those children would know that they were witnessing horror. And in the moment of witnessing horror, to have a caregiver who is celebrating there would be a deep sense of fragmentation and create a legacy that would be enforced in the schools with teaching around race and segregation. Or to have the horror reenforced at church. That fragmentation is then passed down.With this fragmentation in mind, Danielle wonders about deconstruction. When everything is already so fragmented, what has actually been constructed? Danielle feels like she witnesses lights come on and she sees the fragmentation and asks “how do we welcome those fragments back home? How do we rebuild something that's so fragmented?” She says it's the ability to hold things in the air while not knowing how they will land and to wait and see how they will land. It's that faith component that Randy is talking about. Randy says as a nation we have myths about our identity, who we are. Those myths need to be taken apart and deconstructed. He says truth must be interjected into them. Sometimes these myths are partially true, and sometimes they aren't true at all. But they all fit into our national mythos. When we allow those things to be taught and spread, it does something to our souls. “If you are not in the myth as the winning character, it grinds on your soul.” He believes it will also grind on the winners because it dehumanizes them: It creates in them the sense that others are less than human, and that dehumanizes the person who sees others that way as well. We all need to be freed from those myths. In the midst of all this, Randy says he holds on to his faith. “I believe there is a Creator who is ultimately wanting the best for everyone. And while we may disagree about all the theologies and who that is and everything else, I'm still looking at the Creator in faith to say, ‘There is a force beyond humanity that is rooting, if nothing else, for use to treat each as equals and kindly.'” This he says is helpful to him personally.Maggie says what he is saying harkens back to an idea from his book about hospitality. She was struck by a part in the book where he says hate isn't the opposite of love; the opposite of love is more like indifference or apathy or disconnection. The Creator that he just talked about wants us to belong to each other, to have a sense of togetherness, and Maggie asked Randy to talk more about the idea of hospitality and what that looks like.Randy says the Northwest is an interesting place to think about hospitality. He's heard of “Seattle nice” or “Portland nice.” The saying goes, “People will give you directions to anywhere except for their own home.” Randy believes that it is in our own homes where we reveal ourselves to others and allow them the comfort to reveal themselves to us. Homes are the places where we can build those kinds of relationships that are necessary for us to treat each other as humans. Hospitality, he talks about the Indigenous “Harmony Way,” in the Biblical way it would be called “Shalom.” It is the ethos among Indigenous people all over the world is this sense of hospitality. Randy says there are many cultures in the world [geographically and historically] where you have to feed your enemy: You have to give them a day's ration and help them on their way. This is the case with Native America as well. The strangers were taken in and feed, given a night's sleep and sent on their way so they could live another day. Randy thinks it is a really bad sign when we start to see hospitality disappearing out of a culture. He says we really need to get back in each other's homes again. We all live inside each other's home. Randy mentions one of the crazy theologies that came out of the passage where Jesus said [in Matthew 19:29], Anyone who leaves their father and mother for my sake, will inherit 100-fold mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers and houses and homes. The faith people in the 80s turned that into a “name it and claim it.” But he says all that is talking about is hospitality: we become family when we come into each other's homes. “The whole New Testament is based on that Shalom principle of hospitality and being there for another and loving one another.” Randy mentions 1 Peter 4:8-9 as one of the best places that talks about this: It says above all love because love covers a multitude of sins. But it's the next line after this shotgun blast of love is: and don't neglect to be hospitable to one another. And when you invite people in your home, don't complain. Everyone has gifts they were given from Creator, share them with one another. He says we see this over and over again in various passage throughout the New Testament. Certainly, he says, followers of Jesus should be practicing this kind of hospitality, but really this is what all human beings should be doing as well. Danielle says her husband is Mexican and if you show up, you're going to get food. They are going to cook if you show up; you will not leave without food. If you say no, that's not going to be good for you. Randy says there's no such thing as Indians gathering without food. That's s unheard of. He says, “I know the same is true for many cultures. And we always laugh when we go to a White people's event because there will be some sort of small hors d'oeuvre or a bunch of desserts.” He laughs and says “You know, people actually get along better when you eat with each other, and actually eat good food. That's known all over the world except for some cultures in America that's not the case.” He expands to say that is not true of all ethnic cultures that are white cultures—he has some Italian friends where that is not true. Food and hospitality, Randy believes, are a part of loving one another and building relationships. Danielle says there is so much hope in the idea of coming together around a meal. Her family has lived in a lot of tension around identity and she says, “so being familiar with the tension, from ethnicities that hold a lot of tension, we have a lot to offer in leading forward because we have lived a long time in that chaos.” Randy said there was a meme going around Native America a year or two ago that said, if we have intergenerational trauma, and we do, then we also hold within our DNA intergenerational hope and survival. We've survived and there are reasons we have survived. Randy believes that any persecuted or oppressed minority that has survived has things to teach everyone else and some of those are about hospitality.Maggie adds there is a vulnerability to having someone in your home, or being in someone else's home. She recalls in Randy's book that he mentions that hospitality is not about just having the same people in your homes, the people you like to have meals with. There's an additional piece—are we going to take in the strangers and feed them so they can live another day? And are we going to have conversations with people that are different than us, that think differently and look differently? Hospitality then is engaging people that are different than us and are we willing to do it in our homes?Randy says because we are all colonized to one degree or another, there are plenty of people who look differently than us but think exactly like us. And that's always the challenge and Randy names higher education as one of the major culprits of hiring brown people who think white because it looks like diversity. “That's not people who think differently than us. Again, if you start with the same DNA you end up with the same kids.”Danielle says we need to keep having the conversations, keep doing the work, and keep having people in our homes. She says it has to be practical in her own life, it has to be an embodied place that we can pass down. It can't be paper activism or screen activism. Besides all the death and sickness, Randy says the worse part about COVID is that we can't really be in each other's homes the way we want to be. For all his married life, and he's been married for 31 years, he and his wife Edith have had an open home. He said it was always unusual if a month goes by and they've not had people in their home eating with them. When people ask him what they do at Eloheh, he replies we just provide hospitality to people. It's been difficult during COVID but for the first time they gathered people, with masks and distancing, and he and his wife remarked at how nice it was to have people there to visit. He says he can't wait until COVID is over and there can be a return to some form of normality, though he acknowledges it seems like it won't ever go back to the way things always have been. Maggie adds that while we have the desire to do these things—have people over again—but we need to reimagine what they look like under our current circumstance. And right now that looks like gathering outside or with masks on. We must still be activity seeking to be people, places and homes that are open and hospitable in this season. Randy says, I miss that. Danielle does too; “I felt that acutely.”Randy says it was horrible that in the beginning they went months without seeing their own grandkids. Danielle adds, yes that is horrible. There's a sense of not know whether your body or their bodies are a source of danger. And knowing that you need one another. As we wrap up, Danielle asked about Randy's new books and how can people get in touch with him:To find out more about what Randy and his wife Edith are doing at the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice you can visit: www.eloheh.org If you would like to order seeds from them, all organic, open pollinated seeds, you can visit:www.elohehseeds.comIf you want to book Randy to speak at your event you can go to: www.randywoodley.comOr connect via email: eloheh@gmail.com If you haven't read his most recent book that came out: Decolonizing EvangelicalismNew books coming out:January 4th, 2022: Becoming Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred EarthApril 19th, 2022: Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview: A Decolonized Approach to Christian DoctrineNo date: Mission and the Cultural Other: A Closer View“Peaching It All Together” Podcast with Randy Woodley and Bo SandersRandy is reading: "Jesus and Non-Violence" by Walter Wink, "Open and Relational Theology" by Thomas Jay Oord, "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents" by Margaret Kimberley, "Mycelium Running: How mushrooms can save the world" by Paul StametsRandy is listening to: All My Relations Podcast hosted by Matika Wilbur (Swinomish and Tulalip) and Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation), "Medicine for the Resistance" Podcast hosted by an Anishnaabe kwe and an Afro mysticRandy is inspired by: Millennials who are giving him hope and his Elders who are passing down shared wisdom. 

This is Albuquerque NOW!. We're back with Dr. Corey Hill, sharing his thoughts about the stories we were raised with. His experiences in how they can be applied living in our current world situation, living with the pandemic.Acknowledgments to Corey Still Ph.D., a citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Director of Scholarship Operations for the American Indian Graduate Center, Pete Seeger In His Own Words: Environment, Civil Rights, Songs, Communism, Science, 1960s (1998), Things Left Unsaid - Disciple; Scars Remain (2006)

Thinking about the stories we were raised with, how have they helped us to relate to one another. In reading our graphic novels and comic books, the themes show us that we have a need for justice and balance. In this portion of the interview, Dr. Corey discusses stories, experiences, and the importance of understanding giving back for the purpose of creating good in the community.Acknowledgments to Corey Still Ph.D., a citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Director of Scholarship Operations for the American Indian Graduate Center, Quiet Mind Cafe-Navajo Prayer As I Walk with Beauty, See What Canyon Life Is Like for a Navajo Pageant Winner-Short Film Showcase Directed and produced by Dana Romanoff and Amy Marquis, Coyote Legends with Lawrence Aripa the Coeur d'Alene Reservation in Idaho, Alan Jackson - When Daddy Let Me Drive

Albuquerque NOW! Conversation in a pizza and beer setting episode 13 discusses origin stories and how we find our place through experiences and stories we learned. It's hard to understand everything about the world, yet we select the information that comes from the knowledge we already have learned and that's how we build understanding about others and events. Looking out on the world from my “platform” of view and by adding my own twist and spin on things may not be clear enough. We want to be successful but it takes a community to step in and help. We try to understand who our relatives are, both family members and extended family. It's important to understand our origins in every decision we make. Acknowledgments to Corey Still Ph.D., a citizen of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, Director of Scholarship Operations for the American Indian Graduate Center, The Creation Story of the Haudenosaunee artist Arnold Jacobs, Duane Hollow Horn Bear - Essential Understanding #5, Robert Lewis - The First Fire, Gregory A. Cajete TEDxABQSalon A Pueblo Story of Sustainability, Joe Cocker - With A Little Help From My Friends (Live)

Friday, November 28, is Native American Heritage Day. Harold Wilson’s guest on Delmarva Today is Julie Moss to help us honor the heritage of Native Americans. Ms. Moss is a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians headquartered in Tahlequah Oklahoma. Over the years, Ms. Moss has developed an expertise in writing federal grant applications from her work with Indian tribes. Her work has also included serving as elected treasurer for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee, as Deputy Director and Planning Director for the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Julie also worked with The Rural Development Leadership Network to raise funds to send 50 rural/tribal women and women of color to the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing China and has served as a member of the Amnesty International USA Steering Committee. She is currently a grant writer for a nonprofit organization in Muskogee, OK.

Dr. Randy Woodley is an activist/scholar, distinguished speaker, teacher and wisdom keeper who addresses a variety of issues concerning American culture, faith, justice, our relationship with the earth and Indigenous realities. His expertise has been sought in national venues as diverse as Time Magazine, Christianity Today, Moody Radio and The Huffington Post. Dr. Woodley currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture at George Fox University/Portland Seminary. His books include: Decolonizing Evangelicalism: An 11:59pm Conversation, The Harmony Tree: A Story of Healing and Community, Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision and Living in Color: Embracing God’s Passion for Ethnic Diversity. Dr. Woodley’s chapter writings are in dozens of books and in many magazines and journals. His Podcast, “Peacing it all Together” www.PeacingItAllTogether.com  Randy was raised near Detroit, Michigan. He is a legal descendent of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. Randy has served as a member of the Oregon Dept. of Education American Indian/Alaska Native Advisory Board. Edith Woodley is a speaker/mentor on issues concerning Native American Spirituality and Creation. As a full-time mother, grandmother and farmer, she has developed a unique relationship with the land and insights concerning how to raise a family on a small farm. Edith is an Eastern Shoshone tribal member who was raised on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. She graduated from Bacone Indian College in Muskogee, Oklahoma and is co-founder of several organizations with Randy Woodley including Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice www.eloheh.org and Eloheh Farm & Seeds www.elohehseeds.com They served together on the Greater Portland Native Climate Council. Together, the Woodleys have been involved in mentoring Indigenous leaders and others, for almost three decades. Their service for over 30 years to the most disenfranchised people in America led them to become serious about important issues such as peace, racism and eco-justice. @eloheheagleswings @laurendeleary @officialadamfrost

Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley is an activist/scholar and distinguished speaker, teacher and wisdom keeper who addresses a variety of issues concerning American history and culture, postcolonial theology, community-building, faith, social-justice, diversity, regenerative farming, climate-change and our relationship with the earth and Indigenous realities. Dr. Woodley currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture and Director of Intercultural and Indigenous Studies at George Fox University/Portland Seminary. Randy's books include: "An Introduction to Postcolonial Theologies"; "The Harmony Tree: A Story of Healing and Community"; and "Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision." Randy is a legal descendant of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma. He is a member of the Oregon Dept. of Education American Indian/Alaska Native Advisory Board, Greater Portland Native American Climate Council and other service organizations. Randy and his wife are co-sustainers and co-hosts of the Eloheh Indigenous Center For Earth Justice. Randy and I spoke on March 23, 2020. We started with the subject of his PhD dissertation, "The Harmony Way," and this led to a wide-ranging discussion of issues that are rarely mentioned in western society. Every time I talk to Randy, it stretches my brain--and my heart. I hope this interview does the same for listeners. Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice https://www.eloheh.org/ Eloheh Seeds https://elohehseeds.com/index.html Support Voices for Nature & Peace by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/voices-for-nature-and-peace Find out more at https://voices-for-nature-and-peace.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

The Rev. Dr. Randy Woodley and his wife Edith are co-sustainers of Eloheh Farm, a permaculture, regenerative teaching farm, school and community in Newberg, Oregon. Dr. Woodley, a legal descendent of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma, is an activist/scholar, distinguished speaker, teacher and wisdom keeper who addresses a variety of issues concerning American culture, faith, justice, diversity, racism, our relationship with the earth and Indigenous realities. His work has been featured nationally in diverse venues such as Christianity Today, The Huffington Post, Moody Radio and Time Magazine. He currently serves as Distinguished Professor of Faith and Culture and Director of Intercultural and Indigenous Studies at George Fox University/Portland Seminary. His books include: The Harmony Tree: A Story of Healing and Community (a children’s book), Shalom and the Community of Creation: An Indigenous Vision and Living in Color: Embracing God’s Passion for Ethnic Diversity. In this episode of RePlacing Church, Randy joins me to discuss: What white missionaries and pastors need to do to minister to native people today The complexities of ministry in native american contexts What self-theologizing is and why it is so critical for gospel contextualization How Christian missionaries separated native people from God A brief history native communities and whiteness in Oregon’s Willamette Valley Shalom as “The Harmony Way,” and how native communities practice it Why we need another term for the “kingdom of God” What America’s true original sin is   Get your free RePlacing Church Resource List, a guide to being and becoming the church in the neighborhood. Subscribe, rate, and review the RePlacing Church Podcast on iTunes, or listen on Stitcher, Google Play, or Podbean. Support RePlacing Church on Patreon. I need your support to offset production costs so that I can continue to offer quality content and insightful interviews that will help you grow in your faith and practice. Visit www.patreon.com/benkatt, become a RePlacing Church Patron for as little as a $1/month and receive access to bonus podcast episodes, additional blog posts and more exclusive content! More information here. Sign up for RePlacing Church updates at www.replacingchurch.org. Like on Facebook, Follow on Instagram. Episode Song Credits: "Another Wrong to Right" and "You Won't Walk Alone" by Mercir. "Closed" by Zadok Wartes. Used with Permission. Production Assistance by Nate Tubbs.

Randy Woodley & Graham Hill discuss embracing ethnic diversity & learning from Native American, First Nations, Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander, and Indigenous Christians. The GlobalChurch Project, podcast episode 7.Randy Woodley is a descendent of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians. He and his wife Edith lead a local Native American gathering at their home. They’ve developed a holistic model of service among Native Americans, out of which grew a 50 acre sustainable farm and Christian community. In this community, the Woodleys taught sustainability, eco-justice, microeconomics, leadership, and mission. In 2008 they gave up their farm and were forced to disband the community due to violence from local White Supremacists.Randy Woodley is a founding member of the North American Institute for Indigenous Theological Studies. He’s passionate about emerging faith expressions, diversity, eco-justice, reconciliation, mission, and Indigenous peoples.

Mr. Eric Oosahwee-Voss Eric Oosahwee-Voss (M.S. Central Washington University) is the Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO) for the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians in Oklahoma (UKB). The UKB is one of three federally recognized Cherokee tribes with headquarters in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. Prior to his appointment as UKB THPO in early 2016, Eric worked as a Senior Archaeologist for the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Washington State. There he became well versed in tribal based archaeology, consultation, and sovereignty issues. His family has strong connections to the Cherokee community and culture. His thesis focused on the contemporary use of river cane by Oklahoma Cherokee. It is his absolute honor and pleasure to represent the UKB in cultural resource issues.  We would love to get your feedback! Email HELP US SPREAD THE WORD! Tweet: I just listened to 15 Questions with an Archeologist! http://ctt.ec/fkV5f+ If you enjoyed this episode head on over to iTunes and kindly leave us a rating, a review and subscribe! Ways to subscribe to 15 Questions with an Archeologist. Click here to subscribe via iTunes Click here to subscribe via RSS You can also subscribe via Stitcher Read more at SEAC  

The Rev. Randy Woodley, Ph.D., presents a Native American Heritage Month lecture, "America Before Columbus and Now." Woodley, a legal descendant of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, is a teacher, poet, activist, former pastor, missiologist and historian. Woodley is active in ongoing discussions concerning new church movements, racial and ethnic diversity, peace, social justice, interreligious dialogue and mission.

David Cornsilk is a modern day Martin Luther King to the Cherokee Freedmen and an outspoken critic of wannabe Indians and frauds David Cornsilk is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation who lives in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He is a genealogist and has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northeastern Oklahoma State. He is a leading Cherokee nationalist today. He also held a voluntary position as Managing Editor for the Cherokee Advocate, the only non-tribally controlled newspaper in the community. He was also heavily involved in the passage of the Indian Arts and Crafts Act in 1990. This act made it illegal for non- Indian artist to identify his/her art as "Indian art" unless they show proof of tribal enrollment. In 1990 he worked with John Guthrie to expose the problem of Indian art fraud in eastern Oklahoma. Literally hundreds of artists were claiming to be Cherokee with no proof, so they set out to bring the issue to the attention of the public by handing out fliers and writing letters to the editor of local papers. The ensuing conflict, which lead to Cornsilk being physically attacked by one of those artists, is referred to as the "Indian Art War." The attention drawn to the issue helped Congress move on the issue and pass the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990. Both Cornsilk and his father, John Cornsilk, are active in Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah Band politics and were instrumental in winning citizenship rights for the Cherokee Freedmen as well as equal rights for gay Cherokee citizens. He and his father run the Cornsilks.com website and political blog. http://www.cornsilks.com facebook.com/cherokeesevenstar

David Cornsilk is a modern day Martin Luther King to the Cherokee Freedmen and an outspoken critic of wannabe Indians and frauds David Cornsilk is an enrolled member of the Cherokee Nation who lives in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. He is a genealogist and has a Bachelor of Science Degree from Northeastern Oklahoma State. He is a leading Cherokee nationalist today. He spends his life trying to answer the question: What is an Indian? He is not the Cherokee Nation Registration Specialist. The Dawes Act established lists of members; these lists are still used today. Any person who has an ancestor on the Dawes roles can be accepted into the tribe, "though all it takes is one drop of blood." Both Cornsilk and his father, John Cornsilk, are active in Cherokee Nation and United Keetoowah Band politics and were instrumental in winning citizenship rights for the Cherokee Freedmen as well as equal rights for gay Cherokee citizens. Cornsilk produces cartoons and political satire related to Cherokee Nation politics. He and his father run the Cornsilks.com website and political blog. http://www.cornsilks.com facebook.com/cherokeesevenstar