Michigan Indian Day

Michigan Indian Day Information and Registration Forms

Kate Fort

Ashley Harding, former Program Coordinator at the ILPC, has done an amazing amount of work for this year’s Michigan Indian Day program.  We know the whole day will be great, but are sure some will be very interested in the second keynote speaker.

During the administration of Governor William G. Milliken, the Legislature designated the fourth Friday of September as Michigan Indian Day (Act 30 of 1974, Section 435.161). To honor this day in the State of Michigan, the Michigan Indian Day Planning Committee through the Ingham County Health Department’s Native American Outreach Program is proud to announce the 9th Annual Michigan Indian Day Event, entitled Strengthening Health, Strengthening Families: Empowering Indigenous Communities.

The event will be taking place Friday, September 24 at the Hannah Community Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The conference this year will be discussing health inequity and health disparities among the American Indian/First Nations populations of Michigan.

Our keynote speakers will be:

Stacy A. Bohlen, Executive Director, National Indian Health Board (NIHB), Washington, D.C.

Daniel Levy, Director of Law & Policy at the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. He will be discussing recent changes made to the Michigan Indian Tuition Waiver and the American Indian/First Nations populations this is affecting.

Workshop discussions include:
– Urban Native youth programming and its importance,
– Tobacco use among American Indians
– Tackling health inequity and why,
– Indian child welfare updates,
– Tribes and environmental justice issues,
– and MORE…

Costs
The cost of registration is $30 for the General Public and $15 for Students and Elders. Registration costs include materials, refreshments and lunch. No cash will be accepted.

Scholarships
Scholarships are available for students and elders (55 & up). Due to the limited number of scholarships, the committee will be taking these applications on a first come first serve basis.

Registration
Participants have the opportunity to register online or print off the registration form and mail it. Registration forms mailed must include payment. For those who register online, payment must be received within two weeks of registration. Please note the registration deadline is Friday, September 17.

Webpage
http://hd.ingham.org/other-services/native-american-outreach-program/michigan-indian-day-/mid-registration-2010.aspx

Questions
If there are any questions, please contact Ashley Harding at 517.272.4127 or by email at aharding@ingham.org

We hope to see you in attendance.

Registration Form
Registration Form-Elder Scholarship

Registration Form-Student Scholarship

Michigan Indian Day SAVE THE DATE — Sept. 24, 2010

Matthew L.M. Fletcher
The Ingham County Health Department and Michigan State University ask you to SAVE THE DATE (flyer here: save the date michigan indian day) and invite you to attend the 2010 Michigan Indian Day event. The event will be taking place Friday September 24, 2010 at the Hannah Community Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The conference theme this year is Strengthening Health, Strengthening Families: Empowering Indigenous Communities.
The Michigan Indian Day Committee is currently taking requests for workshop proposals (application here: MID Workshop Proposal Request Letter). The workshop proposals are due Monday June 21 by 5p.m. and notification of accepted workshops will be announced on Monday July 12 by 5 p.m.
The SAVE THE DATE flier and Workshop Proposal Application are attached with this email. More information will be added to the Native American Outreach Program website. Please go to the this website for more current  information and materials as the Michigan Indian Day Event approaches.

News Coverage of Michigan Indian Day 2009

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

From the State News (video of interview with Don Lyons):

The slow, repetitive rhythm of the drum provided the background for the closing event at Michigan Indian Day Friday evening in the Union.

After a day that exposed many MSU students to the trials and hardships of Michigan’s Native American population, students and American Indians from around the state gathered in the Union Ballroom to close out the day with a drum circle complete with traditional dances and songs.

MSU’s School of Social Work hosted 10 symposiums on the state-honored day, which centered on Native American boarding schools and the damage they caused the culture, MSU’s Michigan Indian Day co-chair Suzanne Cross said.

“Sometimes in textbooks the American Indian … is a general overview of the population,” Cross said before the event. “Being in the room with a lot of American Indians — including elders — can give a different perspective and (you) can hear some of their lived stories. (You can) actually hear it from them what happened and how their lives have been impacted by this.”

The powwow concluded with a particularly significant song considering the context of the day, said Don Lyons, drum circle member and social work graduate student.

Continue reading →

Michigan Indian Day is TOMORROW!

Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Registration materials are here.

Here is the agenda:

Morning keynote:

9:15-10:30 AM — Historical Context of Boarding School Experiences & the Reverberation to Subsequent Generations

—Suzanne Cross, PhD

10:45 AM-Noon — S-1 — Intra & Inter Generational Effects of Boarding School Experiences: From the Voices of Native Women

—Le Anne Silvey, PhD, MSW

10:45 AM-Noon — S-2 — Intergenerational Trauma: Recognizing & Treating Grief & Loss in American Indian/First Nations College Students

—J. Tawa Sina, PhD

10:45 AM-Noon — S-3 — Boarding Schools & Scholarship: Considerations in Research

—James M. McClurken & Veronica Pasfield

10:45 AM-Noon — S-4 — Traditional Approaches to Prevention of Stress, Diabetes & Heart Disease

—Reddog Sina, DO, PhD

1:30-2:45 PM — S-7 — Healing the Hidden Scars: Coping with the After Effects of Historical Abuse

—Susan M. Montroy, MSW/LMSW

1:30-2:45 PM — S-8 — The Role of Language in the Revitalization of Identity Formation

—Helen Roy, Adam Haviland, and Autumn Ellie Mitchell

1:30-2:45 PM — S-9 — Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment

—Cheryl Samuels, PhD

1:30-2:45 PM — S-10 — Elders’ Discussant Session: Historical Trauma, Boarding School Food Socialization, Intergeneration Eating Habits & Health

—Heather Howard, PhD

Afternoon keynote:

3:00-4:15 PM — Healing the Wounds: Historical Trauma & Urban Health Disparities

—Jerilyn Church and Josette French, MD