April 13, 2024 - Guest Speaker Amplifying Indigenous Women's Perspective for Healthy Soil and Water, Leesburg Va. March 25, 2024 - 1st Phenomenal Women award during Robeson Community College's first annual Phenomenal Women event, Lumberton N.C. - Link Dec. 2023 - 1 of 2 Students Graduated from American Indian Studies degree, University of N.C. at Pembroke, Pembroke, N.C. Sept. 29 - Oct. 1, 2024 - Volunteer, World Cultural Festival in Washington, D.C. featuring Guru Dev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Sept. 2023 - Led Indian Village Educational event at the Bluemont Fair, Bluemont Va. Aug. 27, 2023 - Led Hungry for History event, Winchester Va. July 6, 2023 - Film Featured, Lumbee Film Festival, Pembroke N.C. May 2023 - Elementary School Guest Speaker, Native American Music and Dance demos, four schools from Rockingham County Virginia 2023 - Distinguished Women American Indian Women of Proud Nations award, 11th Annual Conference: Grit & Grace: Our strength. Our resolve. Our resilience Pembroke N.C. March 2023 - Guest Chef and team for Leaders building Simply Shenandoah Resort https://www.thenatureretreat.com/ 2015 - Guest Speaker Fort Eustis Native American Heritage Month "Warrior DNA - "Growing Native Leaders: Enhancing Our Seven Generations" 2015 - Executive Director, The Gathering 2015 2015 - Volunteer of the Year, Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem 2015 - Guest Speaker Lumbee Warriors Association Banquet, Lumbee Homecoming 2015 - Guest Speaker George Mason University Women and Gender Studies Annual Conference "Methods of Transformation to Politics of Gender & Justice: Transforming Race Relations Starting with Language" April 24, 2015 2015 - Letter of Appreciation and Gift Card, Non-Profit Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program, Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging 2014 - Presented Veteran of Foreign Wars (VFW) hat and shirt by VFW Post 9760 for helping the elderly and disabled with their Medicare 2014 - American Indian Movement Pin, Presented by Bryan Douglas Halfday, Board Member of the Governing Council at American Indian Movement 2014 - President’s Call to Service Award in recognition of sustained service of over 4,000 volunteer hours 2014 - Companionate of Merit Award from the Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem 2014 - Certificate of Appreciation, Non-Profit Virginia Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program, Shenandoah Area Agency on Aging | Special Activities/Service Participation Defense Meritorious Service, Joint Service Commendation, Foreign Defense Service, Air Force Meritorious Service, Air Force Commendation, National Defense Service, Armed Forces Expeditionary, Global War on Terrorism Service, Armed Forces Service includes:
Military Service 1989-2011
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"You Can't Get Blood Out of a Turnip,"... she would say. Which means you cannot extract something from a source that does not possess or have the desired thing to give. So, we doodled. Mama used doodling to teach me how to analyze and create spontaneously. Mama was a clever planter, too from planting seed in the ground to planting passions in me. Grasping her patience and discernment also taught me when to speak and keep my mouth shut. "Ta Da"What a storyteller! My favorite was about a white boy named Little Johnny Corn-Corn, who was lost in the forest and discovered by Indigenous People of the Corn. Johnny refused to go home, but instead wanted to live with the Native people. My mama and I made corn dolls and toys from dirt. Being poor, hard work came easy to my mom and us. Playing was easy too. Mama was a magician. One of her favorite magic tricks was squeezing water from a knife. "Ta da." "Try a Lettuce Leaf First"On our walks, she showed me things and shared secrets. She would say, “This tree is good for chewing gum. These roots are sweet to eat. These leaves taste like mint.” Once when a bee stung my knee, she calmly spit snuff on my bee bitten leg, immediately reliving the pain. Antiseptics. Poultices. She knew many old ways. On fevered wounds she would first apply a lettuce leaf to assess that pain level, then elevate the relief with other various foods from potatoes to cold bacon. "Thread This for Me"As my mom's eyes aged, I threaded her sewing needles. Little did I know that all the time she was sewing, she was sewing the tapestry of what would become my life. I'm my mama's tapestry. Until the day she passed, mama taught me how to live. Her vision for after death was to sew angels' wings.
Grit and Grace Awardees
Rene' Locklear White Virginia Artisan
Artisan Center of Virginia Artisan Trail NetworkArtisan Studios - Top of Virginia Artisan Trail ACV Juried Virginia Artisan members represent the highest quality hand-crafted, artisan-made works that the Commonwealth of Virginia has to offer. Each Juried Virginia Artisan featured in this section has gone through a rigorous standards review process recognizing the high quality of their work. What is An Artisan? An Artisan creates objects of three dimensional craft, often to be used functionally, but always with a high degree of artistry and quality craftsmanship. For the Artisan, form follows function, and the work of the Artisan speaks to the simple honesty of that paradigm. The Artisan pours himself into his craft, making his quality objects with pride, honesty, and integrity. Whether using hand tools or machines, the Artisan takes no shortcuts that might compromise the quality of the work. The Artisan does not attempt to compete with the large scale manufacturer, and the amount of time taken to make a work of fine craft is secondary to the result. That the goal of the Artisan is to achieve heirloom quality is an unspoken assumption. CLICK HERE to learn how to become an ACV Juried Virginia Artisan Artisans Center of Virginia Membership Naturally Graphic Story about Sustainable Living on the Blue Ridge Mountain
Woman Owned Verity Varee' Strikes Truth in "Reveals" - January is Native American Indian feature1/6/2016
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René Locklear White"It is neither your title nor your name that defines you, but what is written on your heart." Categories
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