John Lowery
Robesonian file
Lowery, tribal council to be sworn in
PEMBROKE — The Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina is planning for the Jan. 9 inauguration of the newly elected Lumbee Tribal Council and Lumbee Tribal Chairman John L. Lowery.
The Tribal Council-elect members to be sworn in include the following:
Bill “Dollar Bill” Oxendine, District 1
Jody Bullard, District 4
Johnny Bell, District 9
Bobby Emanuel, District 10
Homer Fields, District 14
Nanci Locklear, District 16
Mary Lane Locklear, District 18
John Lowery, became the seventh tribal chairman when he was sworn into office on Jan. 6, 2022. Lowery replaced former Chairman Harvey Godwin Jr.
The ceremony will be held at the Lumbee Tribe Boys & Girls Club. The Boys & Girls Club is behind the Lumbee Tribe Housing Complex on 120 Youth Dr. in Pembroke.
The event will also be live-streamed.
In 2022 during the inauguration, Chairman Lowery became the youngest tribal chairman to be elected to the Lumbee Tribe.
He had previously worked for the National Congress of American Indians in Washington, D.C., served in the Office of Tribal Relations at the United States Department of Agriculture, served as regional operations director for the North Carolina Department of Commerce, and was serving as the tribal liaison for Carolina Complete Health.
In July, during his annual State of The Tribe address, Lowery said that the tribe was in a good place, and praised the efforts of legislators in Washington, D.C. for their work on the Lumbee Fairness Act, which would provide full federal recognition of the tribe, providing access to more money for health care, education and other resources.
U.S. Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd, both of whom represent North Carolina in Congress, sponsored the Lumbee Fairness Act.
However it was the U.S. House that passed its version of the bill sponsored by Wilmington Republican Rep. David Rouzer earlier this month.
The Senate’s legislation has stalled in the Committee on Indian Affairs, where it was referred to in February. Without approval by the Senate, the legislation will not advance to the White House to be signed by Pres. Joe Biden.
President-elect Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated on Jan. 20, has vowed the approve the legislation once it receives Congressional approval.
