Join us for this special live Zoom roundtable with environmental scientist and Absentee Shawnee & Kickapoo tribe member Paulette Blanchard, and Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy Oren Lyons in a conversation led by a member of the Grammy Award-winning band Portugal. The Man.
Thursday, Dec 10th 2 pm EST | 11 am PST
Meet the Panelists:
Chief Oren Lyons
International Human Rights Advocate, Environmental Activist Oren Lyons is a Faithkeeper of the Turtle Clan and serves as a Member Chief of the Onondaga Council of Chiefs and the Grand Council of the Iroquois Confederacy, the Haudenosaunee Peoples. He has been active in international Indigenous rights and sovereignty issues for over four decades at the United Nations and other international forums. In addition to his many accolades for extraordinary achievements, Oren holds a Juris Doctorate of Law from Syracuse University and is the recipient of the prestigious Rosa Parks and George Arents Awards for environmental and social activism, as well as the Green Cross International Environmental Icon Award (2019).
Paulette Blanchard
Paulette Blanchard, Absentee Shawnee & Kickapoo, is a current PhD candidate in the department of Geography at the University of Kansas, and a 2018-2020 Diversity and Inclusion Fellow with the University of Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Her current work addresses Indigenous science, Indigenous led environmental movements and activism for Indigenous Peoples and other intersectional and marginalized populations. Paulette holds a Master of Arts in Geography from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous & American Studies from Haskell Indian Nations University.
Moderator:
Portugal. The Man is a Grammy Award-winning rock band from Wasilla, Alaska, currently based in Portland, Oregon. Recipients of the Public Sector Leadership Award from the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) and Legend Award from the Native American Music Awards, the band is widely recognized for their activism and advocacy for Indigeous rights. A Portugal. The Man show always opens with a land acknowledgement ceremony, and in July of 2020, they announced the launch of the PTM Foundation, an organization “focused on building community resilience, empathy, and awareness through music, stories, art, education and connectivity.”
About Bright Path Strong:
Bright Path Strong was created to share and amplify authentic Native American voices and stories, past and present. Representation matters, and it’s time we shine a light on our real history, our people, and our resilience — in our own words.
The right path is the Bright Path.
Our Tribal Partners:
- The Tuolumne Band of Mewuk Indians
- The Mohegan Tribe
- Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation
- The Tonto Apache Tribe
- The Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria
- Chicken Ranch Rancheria of Mewuk Indians of California
- Sac & Fox Nation
- Sealaska Corporation
- Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians
