UPCOMING PROJECTS

1. Book Proposal for UNC Press

I have recently been in contact with Mark Simpson-Vos, an associate editor at UNC Press who is very interested in producing a book of Lumbee and Tuscarora oral histories and tradition. He and I have discussed many ideas for the book's structure and proposal, and he has invited either myself or the Lumbee River Fund to submit a proposal for a book to be published with photographs. Lumbee subjects are of extreme interest to the Press. This is a wonderful opportunity, but I NEED YOUR ADVICE on how to proceed. What would you like the book to include? Would you like to be involved in its creation and editing? Surely there are many jobs to be done, and there could be something for all who would like to participate.

2. Fundraising

Since our N.C. Humanities Council grant has been completed, we are searching for other sources of funding and for compelling projects to present to those funders. Outstanding needs for funding include:

• a new informational/fundraising brochure (~$2,500)
• More "Telling Our Own Stories" (see above) (anywhere from $2,500 to $10,000)
• Lumbee Homecoming 2003 activities (a genealogy workshop, or photo exhibits, or parade-day tent…) (~$1,300)
• Funding for the Archive of our collected materials (anywhere from $25,000-$100,000)
• Funding for the "Field School" (see above) ($40,000-$50,000)

I plan to devote more time to fundraising in the next six months, but I welcome your input on garnering support from individual donors, community organizations, government sources, or private foundations.

3. Restructuring the Fund's Work?

I have been so grateful for everyone's continued support for the last two years, and in that time we have added many new volunteers and projects to our capabilities. I would like to see the Fund keep its work at a high level, but this becomes increasingly difficult with everyone's life and work changes. With that in mind, I'd like to propose a meeting (the first one in six months!) where interested people get together to discuss our progress thus far and our next steps for the future. Areas that, in my mind, need to be re-organized are Finances, Fundraising, Project Administration, and University/Community Relations. Mid-January might be a good time for such a meeting, and perhaps we can schedule a Lumber River canoe trip as well, to make it at least a little fun. If you'd like to participate or have suggestions for a date, please let me know.

Our history documents the enormous difference that a few people can make when they work together. Our survival as a people is due to our persistence in the face of profound obstacles. The important events of Lumbee history - the Lowry War, the founding of UNC Pembroke, the Battle of Maxton, just to name a few - deserve the honor of preservation.

We should be the ones to preserve our history.

• Preserve the record of Lumbee history-our photos, artifacts, documents, audio tapes, maps, books and articles-and promote a coherent, consistent, and accessible collection of materials to be stored in Pembroke, NC
• Launch a website that includes a guide to the collections, as well as a reading list, resource links, photographs, audio and video
• Establish a seasonal symposium focusing on specific topics related to Lumbee history and culture, such as: the Legacy of Henry Berry Lowry, Lumbees & the Civil Rights Movement, Contemporary Lumbee Artists, Directions in Indian Education for the 21st Century, the Lumbee Federal Recognition Effort, Conserving and Restoring the Lumber River Watershed, Cultural Impacts on Health Care, etc.
• Fund research fellowships designed to encourage Lumbee students, artists, writers and community members to tell our own stories; their research could be published in journal form
• Create an audiotape/CD collection of Lumbee stories and myths for children
• Produce a video of Lumbee historic sites throughout the region, including everything from the Lumber River to our Indian churches.

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The Lumbee River Fund | www.uncp.edu/lumbeeriverfund/
Updated: Friday, February 28, 2003