Independent news from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

Tribe poised to lose a certain bet

Deijae Lam Yuen, the lead organizer of ND Polynesian Cultural Club, has been involved with hosting events, like the 2017 Multicultural Festival, to educate and celebrate with others. Photo Courtesy of ND Polynesian Cultural Club

When the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe gained federal recognition in 2007 — an important legal requirement for an Indian casino — state leaders took notice and renewed the call to legalize expanded gambling.


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Jodi Rave Spotted Bear

Jodi Rave Spotted Bear is the founder and director of the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance, a 501-C-3 nonprofit organization with offices in Bismarck, N.D. and the Fort Berthold Reservation. Jodi spent 15 years reporting for the mainstream press. She's been awarded prestigious Nieman and John S. Knight journalism fellowships at Harvard and Stanford, respectively. She also an MIT Knight Science Journalism Project fellow. Her writing is featured in "The Authentic Voice: The Best Reporting on Race and Ethnicity," published by Columbia University Press. Jodi currently serves as a Society of Professional Journalists at-large board member, an SPJ Foundation board member, and she chairs the SPJ Freedom of Information Committee. Jodi has won top journalism awards from mainstream and Native press organizations. She earned her journalism degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.