Building Bridges - Beyond Land Acknowledgements

Mon • Oct 16 • 6 p.m. • Clark Pleasant Branch
For Teens and Adults

Autumn Brunelle will discuss Native American representation in the outdoors, re-framing the narratives surrounding Native peoples, and discuss why “Land Acknowledgments” may fail Indigenous audiences.

About the speaker:

Autumn Brunelle is Anishinaabe, a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa, and grew up on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in Cass Lake, Minnesota. Autumn graduated in 2015 from Dartmouth College with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Native American Studies with a desire for integrating indigenous knowledge into environmental education and outreach. She has continued to develop this passion through her diverse work experiences with international and local non-profits, the National Park Service, local governments, and in creating community-based environmental programming. She currently works as a fulltime Naturalist for the Monroe County Parks and Recreation Department.

This program is part of the Unearthed Speakers Bureau program with funding provided by a grant from Indiana Humanities.

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About the Panel:

Rev. Dr. Hannah Adams Ingram, Moderator

Rev. Dr. Hannah Adams Ingram was born and raised in Johnson County, Indiana. She has an B.A. from Anderson University, an M.T.S. from Emory University, and a PhD from University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ and serves as the Director of Religious Life and Chaplain of Franklin College. She is the author of "The Myth of the Saving Power of Education" (2021).

Dr. John R. Shafer

Dr. John Shafer is the Behavioral Health Provider & Corporate Trainer for Cummins Engine. He retired as the Director of the Counseling Center and as a Professor after serving 38 years at Franklin College. In addition to his clinical work, Dr. Shafer is active in the Franklin community as the President of the Franklin Police Merit Board, V.P. of the Franklin Parks Board and a member of the Franklin Elks Lodge. He volunteers his time at the USO at Camp Atterbury and plays the piano and sings at a variety of venues. Dr. Shafer and his family live in a 100-year-old Craftsman Bungalow on Walnut Street in historic Franklin.

Ray Niedbalski

Ray Niedbalski is the Evening and Weekend Editor at the Republic newspaper in Columbus. He is a 2020 Franklin College graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a minor in Creative Writing.

Katie Roush

Katie Roush is a Children's Librarian and earned her Master of Library Science in 2016 at Indiana University Bloomington. She loves local history, cooking, playing music, and wrangling her garden. In her free time you can find her exploring the museum, tackling her latest culinary adventure, or singing to children. She lives in Franklin with her girlfriend and two mischievous dogs.