Chairman’s Monthly Report August 2025
- dscott839
- Sep 24
- 2 min read
Chairman’s Monthly Report August 2025
Dear Lumbee Citizens,
During the month of August, we came together to host our 3rd Annual Lumbee Gala, raising money to support and promote the Lumbee Fairness Act. I am always thankful for the support that the community shows for this event. Your generosity allows us to go to Washington, DC and advocate on behalf of our people. We do not have the millions of dollars of casino money that the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) have, so we depend on the Lumbee Gala to help us combat the propaganda machine of our opponents. I would like to thank Speaker Alex Baker, Treasurer Pam Hunt, Councilman Harold Smith, Councilwoman Chocajuna Oxendine, and our tribal staff who served on the planning committee. They all worked tirelessly to ensure a successful and fantastic night of fun. Thank you to all our sponsors and attendees.
It was a pleasure to unveil the site of the future Elder Housing Village in the Jonesville community near Maxton, NC. As a former council member for that district, I made it a priority to find land in the area to build a community village for our elders. The 71 acres will allow us to build many homes for our elders and create a safe neighborhood in an area that has not seen a lot of community development over the years. We did consult with community members and made sure they were happy with an elder's site and the overall multi-million dollar long-term investment in District 18.
Working with the North Carolina Commission of Indian Affairs, we hosted a Back-to-School bash on August 9th. This partnership included free sports physicals, back-to-school supplies, health screenings, haircuts, food, and much more. I am grateful for the many partners who came together to make this a great event. We had over 600 parents and children attend the event and we saw many smiles throughout the day.
The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina works with numerous partners each year to put on events that provide services or educational opportunities for our citizens. Our employees, from all departments, are engaged with each event to ensure space, funding, or employee time is available to ensure a good outcome. These events do not happen without employees at every level working with our partners in some way, large and small. I am grateful for the time they put in as they work on "other duties as assigned".
I love you all, and I am honored to serve as Chairman of our great Tribal Nation!
Sincerely,
John L. Lowery
Chairman
