Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations

Brook LaFloe’s Gift for Creating Equity in Early Childhood Programs

Native Lights

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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