About Us

Minnesota Native News is a weekly radio segment covering ideas and events relevant to Minnesota’s Native American communities since 2014. MNN is produced and distributed by AMPERS and airs on tribal and community stations across Minnesota. MNN reaches more than 124,000 listeners each week. The team includes a majority of Native reporters/producers all sharing in the editorial and story-telling duties.

Executive Producer: Emma Needham

Producers: Chandra Colvin, Deanna StandingCloud, CJ Younger, Travis Zimmerman

Host: Marie Rock

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• Minneapolis Native Community’s Legacy of Protectors and Tribal-State Cannabis Compacts Underway
  Tension with Minneapolis police drove the Native community to form safety patrols. Now, with a federal investigation, the Minneapolis police department faces additional oversight. Plus, tribal – state cannabis compact …
• Mashkiki Studios in Classrooms & College Bound Native Students
  This week, how an organization is advancing Indigenous cultural education across the state, plus: college application deadlines are right around the corner! Hear experiences and information from the Native American …

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Minnesota Native News also produces the weekly radio show and podcast Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine. Native Lights is a weekly, podcast and radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.

• Mattie Harper DeCarlo on Making Change in Indian Country Through Philanthropy
  In this episode, we talk with grantmaking officer and former educator and historian Mattie Harper DeCarlo, PhD. Mattie, a Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe citizen who grew up on Leech Lake Reservation, works in philanthropy at the Bush Foundation, focusing on Indigenous communities. She speaks with us about the nuance of supporting 23 Native nations …
• From Children’s Books to Murals: Moira Villiard on Examining and Bridging Disconnection Through Art
  In this episode, we talk with artist, public speaker, and community organizer Moira Villiard. Moira, a Twin Cities-based visual artist and Fond Du Lac direct descendent, is a 2023 McKnight Foundation Community-Engaged Practice fellow and a 2024-2026 Bush Fellow. We chat with her about her current projects, Waiting for Beds, a traveling exhibition that explores …

Subscribe to Native Lights wherever you get your podcasts

Listen to MN Native News and Native Lights on your local station

If there’s someone you’d like to hear us catch up with or if you have comments about the show, please send us an email at nativelights@ampers.org

Native Lights and Minnesota Native News is produced by Ampers, diverse radio for Minnesota’s communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.