16th Annual State of the Tribes Address on Tuesday

The 16th Annual State of the Tribes Address was held yesterday in Madison. Chairman Ned Daniels, Jr., of the Forest County Potawatomi Community gave this year’s address.

“I am thankful that we have the opportunity and desire to come together to celebrate and strengthen the cooperative relationship between the State of Wisconsin and the select 11 Nations,” Chairman Daniels, Jr. said.

The Chairman covered several topics including Tribal Sovereignty, the opioid epidemic and the HOPE (Heroin, Opiate, Prevention and Education) Agenda, and high school graduation rates among Native students.

“Ten years ago, our high school graduation rate was around 60%. Today, I’m happy to say that now more than 90% of our Native youth graduate high school. In recent years, we have even reached 100%.”

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Chairman Daniels., Jr., discussed the disproportional violence against Native women and girls, and thanked legislators Senator Janet Bewley, Representative Beth Meyers, Representative Amanda Stuck and Representative Jeff Mursau for their bipartisan legislation to create a task force to address this important issue.

The Chairman also noted the positive impact Tribal enterprises bring to our communities and the state.

“We are far more than just operators of casinos. We also own and operate a multitude of successful businesses that provide unique and important benefits for people across the state and country. We have great things happening because of Wisconsin Tribes that include construction management and engineering companies, cyber security firms, industry leading forest product companies, telecommunications companies, data centers, financial institutions and agricultural businesses. We are among the state’s largest employers.

Chairman Daniels., Jr., also discussed housing issues, broadband expansion, and the continued need for the protection of our natural resources.

“Our traditional values teach us to respect all living things, to take only what we need from Mother Earth, and to preserve the air, water and soil for our children and grandchildren. There might not be anything more important than ensuring the sustainability of our most precious and valuable national resources for future generations.”