Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks, seated, signs a proclamation designating May 2025 as Older Americans Month for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians during an event held at the old Cherokee High School on the morning of Friday, May 9. Shown standing are Brenda Davis and Jamie Tranter. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
CHEROKEE, N.C. – In recognition of Older Americans Month, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Senior Citizens Program hosted an event at the old Cherokee High School on the morning of Friday, May 9. The event included an Elder’s Walk, informational booths from various EBCI tribal programs, and a free lunch.
Monica Wildcatt, EBCI Senior Citizens Program manager, said, “Today, we celebrate you.”
She spoke of the history of the month designation, “When Older Americans Month was established in 1963, only 17 million living Americans had reached their 65th birthday. About a third of older Americans lived in poverty and there were few programs to meet their needs…Historically, Older Americans Month has been a time to acknowledge the contributions of past and current older persons to our country. In particular, those who defended our country.”
An Elder’s Walk was a part of Friday’s event.
Wildcatt added, “May 2025 has been proclaimed as Older Americans Month with the theme ‘Flip the Script on Aging’, focusing on transforming perceptions on aging and celebrating the contributions of older adults…this theme encourages communities to challenge stereotypes and misconceptions about aging, highlighting the valuable contributions older adults make to society.”
EBCI Ugvwiyuhi (Principal Chief) Michell Hicks told the crowd, “We appreciate every one of you.”
He thanked the various EBCI tribal programs working on services for elders. “We have to be proud of what we’ve accomplished. We still have some things to do…there are a lot of efforts that we can still move forward.”
Ugvwiyuhi Hicks thanked the elders for their wisdom and importance within the community. “I appreciate you all because your voice is important on all of the things that we deal with. We may not always agree on every finite thing, but we want to hear from you. We want to hear from you on health care, housing, or any issue that affects our people. We appreciate each one of you and we know that our elder group is very special. We just thank you guys for all your wisdom and we thank you for all that you do for our communities.”
Taline Ugvwiyu (Vice Chief) Alan B. Ensley said, “It’s a joy to have this event…we do a lot of work. We get beat up sometimes over how slow the projects go, but we want to take time on the projects to make sure they’re right for all of our people, from the elders all the way down to the youngest member of the tribe.”
He went on to say, “We take a lot of pride in our planning for every project that we do for the Tribe, regardless of what it is….we do appreciate everybody’s opinion, whether it’s good, bad, or whatever. We need to hear any comment or suggestion or whatever.”
During Friday’s event, Ugvwiyuhi Hicks signed the following proclamation designating May 2025 as Older Americans Month within the EBCI:
Whereas, May is Older Americans Month, a time for us to recognize and honor Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians older adults and their immense influence on every facet of American society; and
Whereas, through their wealth of life experience and wisdom, older adults guide our younger generations and carry forward abundant cultural and historical knowledge; and
Whereas, older Americans improve our communities through intergenerational relationships, community service, civic engagement, and many other activities; and
Whereas, communities benefit when people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds have the opportunity to participate and live independently; and
Whereas, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians must ensure that older Americans have the resources and support needed to stay involved in their communities – reflecting our commitment to inclusivity and connectedness; and
Now, therefore, I, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians do hereby proclaim May 2025 as Older Americans Month. This year’s theme, “Flip the Script,” focusing on transforming perceptions of aging and celebrating the contributions of older adults.
