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’re speaking with Brook LaFloe (Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa) who is an educator and entrepreneur. Brook is the founder of Niniijaanis One of Ones, a social enterprise aimed at creating educational equity in early childhood for Indigenous children.
Brook’s enthusiasm for developing culturally-relevant learning materials and curriculum is inspiring. Drawing on the contributions of Indigenous artists, Niniijaanis One of Ones, seeks to revitalize and maintain culture across generations, with a unique business model that pairs critical donations with all product sales.
We loved hearing all the different ways Brook LaFloe is working with parents, educators, and administrators on policies and advocacy to better serve Indigenous children, from the time they are babies throughout their school-aged years.
Find more information about Niniijaanis One of Ones here: https://niniijaanis1of1s.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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More from Native Lights
- Rebekah Fineday’s Gift for Building Trust in Healthcare Systems & Native CommunitiesToday, we’re speaking with Rebekah Fineday, a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and Air Force veteran who serves as Sanford Health’s Native American community advocate in Bemidji, Minnesota.
- Levi Brown’s Gift for Building Relationships Across the TableToday we’re speaking with Levi Brown, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe citizen and Director of Tribal Affairs at the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDot). Levi talks with Leah and Cole about acknowledgement on a person-to-person level and on an institutional level. In his current position at MnDot, Levi helped facilitate the highway signs marking the 1854 Treaty boundaries in Northern MN, a step toward acknowledgment and a point of education. Levi is also a part of the Tribal State Relationship Training Program that helps develop collaboration and understanding between tribes and Minnesota state departments.
- Elaine Fleming: Celebrating and Sharing the Culture of Leech LakeToday Leah and Cole chat with Elaine Fleming. She teaches and preserves Leech Lake Ojibwe culture, history, and language. Elaine proudly lives in Cass Lake, where she has been an instructor at Leech Lake Tribal College for 29 years.
- Amber Annis: Nurturing & Protecting Authentic NarrativesToday Leah and Cole chat with Amber Annis, a Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe citizen who is currently the director of Native American Initiative at the Minnesota Historical Society. Amber has a long history not only as a public historian, but as an educator, tribal nation liaison, community engagement specialist and collaborator.
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