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For Immediate Release Lumbee Tribal Administration and Ag Department Staff Visit the White House to Look at Opportunities for Rural Communities Washington, DC (May 17, 2024) - Tribal Administrator Ricky Harris and Lumbee Tribe Agriculture and Natural Resources Department Manager Larry Edwards traveled to Washington DC this week following an invitation from the White House to participate in sessions at the Rural Communities in Action event which serves to lift up opportunities for rural communities. The sessions gave Harris and Edwards a chance to interact and hear from Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, White House Staff, USDA Staff, US Senators, as well as other community leaders from across the nation as they spoke about rural issues like labor, infrastructure, healthcare and building economy. The meetings allowed the attendees to gain better knowledge of federal grants and programs available. The "Rural Communities in Action" event welcomed a small, select group of rural leaders from across the nation with a goal to showcase significant investments and initiatives in rural America by the Biden-Harris administration, including the American Rescue Plan, bipartisan infrastructure legislation, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Rural Partner Network, among others. Edwards said the meetings allowed him to see the enthusiasm of the federal staffers and their desire to make a change in rural communities. “One of the big things that was echoed throughout the day was that you don’t have to leave home to make a living,” according to Edwards. “They stressed the importance that if someone wants to live in rural America, that they should be able to do so and make a family.” The White House event also spotlighted success stories from rural leaders and provided a platform to recognize individuals making a positive impact through partnerships with the administration via the new White House Rural Initiative. “In the afternoon, we had small group breakout sessions and that allowed us to discuss issues we face here at home,” said Harris. “We shared how one of the big items we are tackling is the Housing crisis across our tribal territory, but it also allowed us to tell our story about continued efforts and focus on full federal recognition through the Lumbee Fairness Act, which has been a goal of Lumbee Tribal Chairman John Lowery and the Lumbee People.” ---------------------------- Additional Background The Biden-Harris Administration launched the Rural Partners Network (RPN), a new whole-of-government effort led by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to transform federal agencies into partners with rural communities and Tribal Nations. This initiative, which will bring the federal government to rural America, holds great promise for the future of rural communities and Tribal Nations. Attendees were invited to participate in a new whole-of-government effort to transform the way federal agencies partner with rural communities and Tribal Nations to create economic opportunity. New federal field staff will be placed in states and Tribal Nations to help local leaders navigate and access the federal resources they need to build a strong and vibrant community. The federal government will go to the rural American with the first cohort of 5 states to begin by the end of May. North Carolina will participate in the second cohort soon afterward.

Senior Ms. Lumbee Pageant tickets are on sale now at Givens Performing Arts Center on the campus of UNC Pembroke. Please join us on Friday, June 21, 2024 at 6:30 pm for one of the best events during Lumbee Homecoming. See your reigning Senior Ms. Lumbee, Edith Jones, as well as co-emcees, Preacher Mike and Sister Quae Cummings. Tickets are $15, plus tax. To purchase tickets or more information call 910.521.6361 or visit https://www.uncp.edu/resources/gpac/special-events-and-activities/senior-miss-lumbee?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3Ts2lH2RFW_8gFd0-spWka9n2OJhEyoiFRkfYtazh57esFAKwebBUjsr8_aem_AcHQdlIwqZwFhiAfixI_OnbxeyhqY06EXQWkjonPilMVfuKR-B1bhXwgseq7jMgoFq2SglBYGRFV1-bRgz9tCNvV

You are invited to the District 7 Community Meeting on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 6:30 pm at the Pembroke Boys & Girls Club (120 Youth Drive Pembroke, NC 28372.) The event is hosted by Councilwoman Yvonne Dial. The meeting will offer information about tribal services and community information. Dinner will be served.

The First Responders Appreciation event which was scheduled for Saturday, May, 18, 2024 is postponed due to potential inclement weather. The reschedule date will be announced.

This weekend, the Lumbee Tribe of N.C. joined the Go Red Movement and was represented on the runway of the American Heart Association Fashion Show and 2024 Triangle Go Red for Women Evening in Red in Raleigh, NC. Sandra Eddings, Accounting Technician I and former Miss Lumbee,  wore a ribbon skirt and carried a shawl as she walked the runway at the Raleigh Conference Center. Heart Health Coordinator Vanessa Locklear and a delegation participated in the fundraiser to raise money for the American Heart Association. The American Heart Association (AHA) celebrated its 100th birthday and its 20th anniversary of the ‘Go Red’ Movement! Did you know that heart disease is the #1 threat to women than all forms of cancer combined? If you or someone you know experience signs of a heart attack or stroke, call 911 and get help right away! Thank you to the American Heart Association of helping raise awareness to heart disease.

Meet your Senior Ms. Lumbee Contestants. Tickets go on Sale Monday, May 13, 2024 at 9:00 am at Givens Performing Arts Center. Please join us for the Senior Ms. Lumbee Pageant on Friday, June 21, 2024 at 6:30 pm at Givens Performing Arts Center on the campus of UNC Pembroke. Tickets are $15. Your contestants are Annie Mae Harris Sheila Ann Jacobs Ava Maria Locklear Tamara Suzette Jacobs Scarlet Ann Thomas Dottie Ruth woods Carolyn McNeill Emanuel Sharon Kay Blue For more information call 910.521.6361 or visit https://www.uncp.edu/.../special.../senior-miss-lumbee

The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina at the Hawkeye Sands site is undergoing improvements.  The pavement and parking lot at Hawkeye Sands Apartments in Hoke County, has been resurfaced. Hawkeye Sands is a 37-Stock housing rental site which is home to 62 Lumbee families.

First Responders Appreciation - Saturday, May 18, 2024 from 11 am - 2 pm at the Lumbee Tribe Cultural Center on Terry Sanford Drive in Maxton, NC.

The Lumbee Tribe of N.C. sends our deepest condolences to Mrs. Barbara and the family of Mr. Horace Locklear. Mr. Horace passed away on Sunday. In 1972, Mr. Horace became the first American Indian licensed to practice law in the state of North Carolina. He would go on to serve his tribe and the citizens of N.C. in many capacities. In 1968, he cofounded the Lumbee Regional Development Association in Pembroke. In 1976, he became the second Lumbee to serve in the N.C. General Assembly. He served in the North Carolina House of Representatives from 1977 until 1983. Mr. Horace was born in Lumberton and graduated from Pembroke State College and N.C. Central School of Law. He was an enrolled citizen of the Lumbee Tribe of N.C. Tribal Chairman John L. Lowery said the Lumbee People have lost a great leader. “Mr. Horace was a trail blazer for the Lumbee People and served in many leadership capacities,” said Lowery. “We are a better tribe today because of Mr. Horace and his contemporaries who helped open many doors for our people.” Charles Graham, Former NC State House Representative, remembered Mr. Horace as being a leader who was not about recognition for himself, but was interested in what was best for the Lumbee People and Lumbee Children. “Horace Locklear was a great community leader. During the prime of his life he began his professional career as a teacher. He made an impression on me. I never forgot him as a teacher or community leader. I give him great credit for helping me in my career as a legislator. He was an adviser and mentor. He did a great job supporting our Lumbee People,” said Graham. Obituary HORACE LOCKLEAR American Indian. Lawyer. Statesman (November 27, 1942 -May 05, 2024) Horace Locklear, 81, was born in Robeson County, NC to farmer Riley Lee Locklear and wife, Margaret Locklear, who later became a public-school teacher; their family heritage was Lumbee Indian. After graduating from Magnolia High School in 1960. He was graduated from Pembroke State College (now UNC-Pembroke) in 1964, with a B.S. degree. Locklear taught grades sixth and seventh-all subjects - in a makeshift classroom next to a fellow teacher who also taught combination grades; a cloth curtain separated the classrooms located in the school's auditorium. He resigned his teaching position midway the second school year and was rescued from a futile teaching career in the mid 60 's by a federal anti-poverty program. He was hired by the NC Fund Project as a mobility specialist and his wife and young child to Statesville, NC. In 1969, he left that job when he won a school scholarship from the Ford Foundation and the U.S. Bureau of Indians Affairs to attend law school. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 1972, admitted to the NC Bar, thus becoming the first licensed American Indian lawyer in North Carolina. Locklear was elected to the N.C. House of Representatives; he served three from 1977 -1983, choosing not to seek re-election to another term. Afterwards he continued to practice law while immersing himself in Civic Affairs, Community Development, Human Rights, The Civil Right Movement, and American Indian Rights and Causes. Locklear's death on May 05, 2024, in the Lower Cape Fear Life Care Center in Bolivia, NC ended his 61-year-old marriage to Barbara Braveboy-Locklear who survives him along with their three children a daughter, Millicent Locklear Long (Joseph) Shallotte, NC; his two sons: Horace Bryan Locklear of Zebulon, NC, and Jasper Edwin Locklear (Nicole) of Lillington, NC; his sister, Angelin Lee Locklear of Lumberton, NC; his brother, D 'Angelo Locklear of Lumberton, NC; his stepmother, Angeline of Lumberton; seven grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. Date of "Celebration of Life" Service is Saturday July 13, 2024 at 2 pm at Mt. Olive Baptist Church located at 1476 Mt. Olive Church Rd., Saddletree Community, Lumberton, NC 28360. The service is open to the public. Horace's family requests that anyone who is considering giving a flora memorial, to instead make a tax-deductible donation in his Name to: Lower Cape Fear Life Center, 955 Mercy Lane SE, Bolivia, NC 28422.

For Immediate Release Lumbee Tribe Housing Budget Substantially Increases Pembroke, NC (May 9, 2024) - Lumbee Tribal Chairman John L. Lowery is excited to announce an increase in funds for the Lumbee Tribe Housing Program. Tribes across the nation received notification on May 7, 2024 from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development about their Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) Allocations for Fiscal year 25. The Lumbee Tribe will receive an additional 10 million dollars next program year, going from $18.3 million last year to $28.7 million next year. Tribes across the nation will receive increased funding as a result of Congress increasing appropriations to NAHASDA Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination Act of 1996. This is the largest increase in (IHBG) funding since the program was created. “This funding will allow us to build additional homes for homeownership, elderly sites and help with Down Payment Assistance,” said Lowery. “I am honored to be in this position, during this season of progress and prosperity for the Lumbee People.” Chairman Lowery and his staff are currently working on the budget for the 2024/2025 year. The Chairman will present his proposed budget to the Tribal Membership, including these additional housing funds, at the State of the Tribe Address on Monday, July 1, 2024.

You are invited to the District 12 Community Meeting on Monday, May 20, 2024 at 6:00 pm at Evans Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department (3440 Elrod Rd. Maxton, NC 28364.) The event is hosted by Councilman Larry Soles. The meeting will offer information about tribal services and community information. Dinner will be served.

The Lumbee Tribe Boys & Girls Clubs Summer Program 2024 is accepting applications now. Available to students who live in Robeson, Scotland, Hoke & Cumberland Counties, who were in grades K - 11th grade during the 2023-2024 school year. To apply and check availability, please call a Boys & Girls Club. Pembroke Boys and Girls Club: (910).775.9071 Hawkeye Boys & Girls Club: (910).878.0000 Scotland Boys & Girls Club: (910).291.0057 First Nation Boys & Girls Club: (910).608.3220 Southern Spirit Boys & Girls Club: (910).738.1780 Four Winds Boys & Girls Club: (910).674.4397 Two Streams Boys & Girls Club: (910).521.4411 Members must bring their own water bottle. Members will participate in the School Lunch Program and bring their lunch when school lunch program is closed. Afternoon snack provided. Transportation will leave each site at 8:00 am.