Willie Frank III, Nisqually Tribal Chair

Learning Right Relations sponsors Willie Frank III, current chair of the Nisqually Tribal Council, who will share what’s coming in the near future, including a multimillion dollar health healthcare facility to be cooperatively managed with the Nisqually Tribe and Thurston Country, and a significant commitment to the teaching of Lushootseed, the historic language of the Coast Salish people. He will also share about his involvement with the installation of the Billy Frank, Jr. statue in the Hall of Statues of the US Congress.

Willie will look back a few years to share some of the long and hard battles fought to keep the Nisqually River habitat clean and healthy. It wasn’t that long ago that we heard him speak about the level of pollution in this river that came from the freeway over the river from automobile tires. Willie’s work within the intertribal community and intercultural fish management community has been a great example of living as if Earth had her own rights of protection, a watermark of the historic culture of the coast Salish people. Willie also has a deep commitment to educating children in Thurston County about the Nisqually tribe and their cultural heritage, and his presence has been received enthusiastically at a number of classes and assemblies.

We ask everyone to bring healthy food for the potluck meal that follows the presentation.
It is customary to make a modest contribution to the basket for the speaker’s honorarium.