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- By Native News Online Staff
Olympic Gold medalist Billy Mills (Oglala Lakota) announced that Running Strong for American Indian Youth will host the SACRED Arts Festival in Sacramento on Saturday, April 13, and Sunday, April 14. Mills said the arts festival will celebrate Native American arts and culture in the region.
“Our traditions and our culture are passed down through generations through art,” Mills said. “Sacramento and northern California have beautiful tribal communities, but Native people often lack representation and visibility. This event will bring the entire community together, Native and non-Native alike, to celebrate the diversity of our Indigenous art and culture.”
The SACRED Arts Festival will be held at Cesar Chavez Park, in the heart of Sacramento. The two-day event will include live mural painting, artist vendor booths, film screenings,live musical performances, and food and beverage.
“Native artists are valuable contributors to the contemporary American art world and protectors of their traditions and culture. Running Strong is proud to support Native American artists and Northern California tribal communities,” states Sydney Mills-Farhang (Oglala Lakota), Executive Director of Running Strong.
After winning the 10,000-meter race at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics in an upset, come-from-behind victory, Mills used his fame to raise millions of dollars to improve the lives of Native Americans, particularly Native youth. He co-founded Running Strong for American Indian Youth in 1986 to help support Native youth and their communities through clean water access, food sovereignty and security, culture and language revitalization, and more.
Click here for more information about the SACRED Native Arts Festival. Additional information about Running Strong can be found at www.IndianYouth.org.
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