Native Lights is a weekly, half-hour radio program hosted by Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe members and siblings, Leah Lemm and Cole Premo. Native Lights is a space for people in Native communities around Mni Sota Mkoce — a.k.a. Minnesota — to tell their stories about finding their gifts and sharing them with the community.
On today’s show, we talk with musician Beth Ann Dodds, a first-generation descendant of the White Earth Nation. Beth Ann is the Project Coordinator for the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative, a training program from the Native-led organization, Indigenous Visioning. The program guides parents from White Earth Nation and Red Lake Nation to become leading advocates for children using a cultural lens.
We hear how Beth Ann’s own path brought her to her current work. When her music and life partner, Bruce Jackson, received a terminal diagnosis, the couple embraced self-love and reflection throughout his remaining years. After his passing, Beth Ann sought the quiet of the North woods was inspired to learn more about her Ojibwe culture.
Now, through her role with the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative, a 21-week course for parents that integrates child development, leadership, democracy skills, and Ojibwe culture, Beth Ann is helping others to find, claim, and powerfully use their voices. Miigwech Beth Ann for your sharing your gifts!
Learn more about the Indigenous Parent Leadership Initiative on Facebook or go online to: https://www.indigenousvisioning.com/
Native Lights: Where Indigenous Voices Shine is produced by Minnesota Native News and Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota’s Communities with support from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage fund.
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On this episode, we speak with contemporary artist and White Earth Nation citizen Kent Estey. Kent paints at his home studio in Naytahwaush, in the heart of the White Earth Reservation. He’s known for really bold abstract landscapes, acrylic, oil, ink, and metal. He’s also an author. In 2025, he released the children’s book Picking Sweetgrass. His latest exhibit, “Mino-Bimaadiziwin: The Good Life” runs through Labor Day weekend in Detroit Lakes. - Rafael Gonzalez, aka, Tufawon: How a Minneapolis Rap Artist Learned How to Sing and Make a Difference
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New Initiative Empowers Parent Voices