Northwestern Michigan College’s International Affairs Forum welcomes Matthew L.M. Fletcher for a hybrid event at 12:30 p.m. EST on Thursday, May 16 to discuss tribal sovereignty and history.

Fletcher is the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan Law School. He teaches and writes in the areas of federal Indian law, American Indian tribal law, Anishinaabe legal and political philosophy, constitutional law, federal courts, and legal ethics.

Fletcher also sits as an appellate judge for the Cabazon Band of Mission Indians, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians, the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi Indians, the Rincon Band of Luiseño Indians, the Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska, and the Tulalip Tribes. He is a member of the Grand Traverse Band.

The moderator for this event is Mark Wilson, a citizen of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians and former Vice-Chair of the Tribal Council (2014-2022). Wilson serves as Mayor Pro Tem of Traverse City and is a member of the International Affairs Forum Advisory Board.

The event will open and close with a drum ceremony by Dusty Bear, composed of members of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians

This event is supported in part by grant funding from the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians.

The event will be held at the Dennos Museum Center Milliken Auditorium, 1701 E. Front St, Traverse City, MI. There will be a welcoming reception at 11:30 a.m.. The 12:30 program is also available to livestream online.

Visit TCIAF.com for event details and to secure in-person & online tickets. Event admission is free for students & educators, including all employees of NMC and area schools.

IAF logo