Frank LaMere, a Winnebago activist, will discuss “The People, Empowerment, and Change” at 10 a.m. Friday, March 9 in the Shambaugh Auditorium in the Main Library on the University of Iowa campus. The lecture is sponsored by Opportunity of Iowa and Support Service Programs and is free and open to the public.

LaMere has had extensive involvement with empowerment efforts of Native People throughout the United States. In 2001, he was named Peacemaker of the Year by the Nebraskans for peace for his work to stop the illegal flow of alcohol on to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. He has been active in state and national politics since 1987 and chaired the Native American Caucus at the 2000 and 2004 Democratic conventions. He is former vice chair of the Nebraska Democratic Party and is currently a member of the executive committee of the Democratic National Committee. Frank has also been extensively involved in the ongoing Community Initiative for Native Children and Families (CINCF) and he was instrumental in the passage and implementation of the Iowa Indian Children Welfare Act of 2003.

For more information or special accommodations to attend this lecture, contact Marisa Moore, Opportunity at Iowa, at 319-335-3555.