Conveying the news is a sacred trust. That is why, over the course of over a decade as editor of the Cherokee One Feather, I have focused my journalistic role to be one of gatekeeping.

When pursuing healthy living habits people often find themselves between a rock and a hard place.  Many of the prescriptions and suggested cures come with lengthy laundry lists of warnings and possible contradictions.  Every pharmaceutical TV advertisement ends with a rushed litany of reported side effects.  Sometimes the possible cures or prescriptives seem worse than the ailments! 

Are we too stupid to know? A former tribal official stated in a leadership meeting that we would just be too confused by getting information on our projects and finances, so it is better to let the government handle it without community involvement.

When we see division, we should immediately become peacemakers.

You might be wondering why I’m writing one of my Good Stuff columns about a neurological disorder, and that’s a fair question. I’ve stuttered since early childhood, and it has been a lifetime of ups and downs regarding my speech. 

There is a great urgency to our language revitalization efforts; we feel it every day. If we’re not careful, that urgency can feel like anxiety, dread, or even defeat. But urgency does not mean defeat; it means there’s an opportunity that we can seize.

Wilbur Paul is a staple at events in Cherokee and has worked for decades serving the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) community.

October marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and for me, it’s more than just a pink ribbon or a reminder to schedule your annual mammogram.