- Details
- By Native News Online Staff
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Former Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland (Bay Mills Indian Community) will be the featured guest at a fireside chat hosted in the Loosemore Auditorium on the Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus of Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Newland will be interviewed by Belinda “Lin” Bardwell (Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa), senior advisor on Native American Affairs and assistant director of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, along with Native News Online editor Levi Rickert (Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation).
Titled An Evening with Former Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland, the two-hour event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 25, at 5:30 p.m. EDT.
A Michigan native, Newland grew up in Brimley before heading to Washington, D.C., to serve in the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Obama administration. He later returned home to the Bay Mills Indian Community, where he became a tribal judge and served as tribal chairperson. In 2021, President Joe Biden appointed him as assistant secretary for Indian Affairs, serving under Interior Secretary Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo).
During the fireside chat, Newland will reflect on his journey, the lessons that prepared him for his leadership role, and his time at the Department of the Interior. He previously visited GVSU during his tenure to engage with students and community members.
"I am excited to welcome Bryan Newland back to GVSU," Bardwell said. "His experiences as a high-ranking federal official will be enlightening and inspirational for all who attend, from students to university leaders."
The event is co-hosted by Grand Valley State University and Native News Online.
"During the Road to Healing, I saw Bryan Newland engage with Indian Country with deep compassion and care, especially when addressing survivors of Indian boarding schools," Rickert said. "I look forward to hearing how he and his team transformed extensive historical records into two impactful reports."
An Evening with Former Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs Bryan Newland will be streamed live on Native News Online’s Facebook and YouTube channels.
.
More Stories Like This
Native News Weekly (August 25, 2024): D.C. BriefsUS Presidents in Their Own Words Concerning American Indians
Native News Weekly (August 4, 2024): D.C. Briefs
Native News Weekly (June 15, 2025): D.C. Briefs
Photographs of the Homecoming of the Three Fires Powwow
Help us tell the stories that could save Native languages and food traditions
At a critical moment for Indian Country, Native News Online is embarking on our most ambitious reporting project yet: "Cultivating Culture," a three-year investigation into two forces shaping Native community survival—food sovereignty and language revitalization.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 accelerated the loss of Native elders and with them, irreplaceable cultural knowledge. Yet across tribal communities, innovative leaders are fighting back, reclaiming traditional food systems and breathing new life into Native languages. These aren't just cultural preservation efforts—they're powerful pathways to community health, healing, and resilience.
Our dedicated reporting team will spend three years documenting these stories through on-the-ground reporting in 18 tribal communities, producing over 200 in-depth stories, 18 podcast episodes, and multimedia content that amplifies Indigenous voices. We'll show policymakers, funders, and allies how cultural restoration directly impacts physical and mental wellness while celebrating successful models of sovereignty and self-determination.
This isn't corporate media parachuting into Indian Country for a quick story. This is sustained, relationship-based journalism by Native reporters who understand these communities. It's "Warrior Journalism"—fearless reporting that serves the 5.5 million readers who depend on us for news that mainstream media often ignores.
We need your help right now. While we've secured partial funding, we're still $450,000 short of our three-year budget. Our immediate goal is $25,000 this month to keep this critical work moving forward—funding reporter salaries, travel to remote communities, photography, and the deep reporting these stories deserve.
Every dollar directly supports Indigenous journalists telling Indigenous stories. Whether it's $5 or $50, your contribution ensures these vital narratives of resilience, innovation, and hope don't disappear into silence.
The stakes couldn't be higher. Native languages are being lost at an alarming rate. Food insecurity plagues many tribal communities. But solutions are emerging, and these stories need to be told.
Support independent Native journalism. Fund the stories that matter.
Levi Rickert (Potawatomi), Editor & Publisher
