Registration is now open for the Tri-Faith Initiative's 2026 Religious Equity Seminar, which will provide an understanding of religious equity, diversity, and inclusion issues surrounding religion in America through historical, cultural, and structural analysis. The sessions take place from 6:30 - 8 p.m. every other week on Mondays and Wednesdays from October 12 to December 9. Click here for more information, or to register. Registration deadline is the first day of class, October 12. The Religious Equity Seminar is intended for community leaders and members who want to build genuinely inclusive spaces, whether in workplaces, congregations, schools, or civic organizations. This includes nonprofit staff, educators, faith leaders, HR professionals, and engaged community members who regularly interact with religiously diverse populations but may lack a shared historical framework for understanding how religious bias forms and persists. This course attempts to lay plain the origins of the tropes, stereotypes and deep-seated narratives that have fueled negative attitudes toward various religious communities for millennia – and which continue to give even the most well-intentioned people faulty understandings that foster exclusivity instead of inclusivity. This seminar gives participants concrete historical grounding and practical tools, like the Five B Framework and the Bridge-Building Model, to translate goodwill into informed, actionable behavior in their own spheres of influence. Participants will walk away with practical tools for driving real change where they work and live, not just a better vocabulary for naming the problem. - Session 1: Monday, October 12, 2026: “Introduction” and “Religious Freedom & Foundations: Part 1” - Session 2: Wednesday, October 14, 2026: “Religious Freedom & Foundations: Part 2” - Session 3: Monday, October 26, 2026: “Religious Equity: Jewish Considerations” - Session 4: Wednesday, October 28, 2026: “Religious Equity: Muslim Considerations” - Session 5: Monday, November 9, 2026: "Intro to Race & Religion,” and “Religious Equity: Native American Considerations.” - Session 6: Wednesday, November 11, 2026: “Religious Equity: African American Considerations” - Session 7: Monday, November 23, 2026: “Christian Nationalism” - Session 8: Monday, December 7, 2026: “Equitable Pluralism: Part 1” - Session 9: Wednesday, December 9, 2026: “Equitable Pluralism: Part 2” and "Conclusion"
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Bringing Back Tradition Lakota Cultural Workshop (Read More)
Discover Lakota traditions through art, food, and storytelling. This special event, guided by Lakota leaders, is for families to connect, learn, and celebrate heritage. There will be workshops for all ages focused on beading, ribbon skirt/shirt making, singing, and hand games. A cultural meal will also be provided. Keynote Speaker: Steven Tamayo (Sicangu Lakota), recipient of the 2025 NEA Bess Lomax Hawes National Heritage Fellowship, has spent 14 years on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, reclaiming and preserving Lakota culture through his art. As a traditional artist and educator, Tamayo revives stories that were systematically erased by discriminatory laws, the boarding school system, and forced relocation. For more information, and to register, visit the event website: https://www.empoweringfamiliesne.org/events/brining-back-tradition-lakota-cultural-workshop
Big Elk was chief of the Omaha Tribe during the 1800s. As the expanding U.S. threatened First Peoples, he sought ways to protect his tribe and their culture from obliteration. He created alliances and attempted to prepare for a future that he thought depended on a closer relationship with the U.S. Chief Big Elk will be presented by his great-great-great-great-great-grandson, Taylor Keen. Audience members will be able to ask questions first of Chief Big Elk and then of Taylor Keen.
Seed is sacred to the First Peoples of this land. Taylor Keen shares his 10 year journey to reclaim his Omaha tribal seeds and the teachings afforded by the Plant Nations. Presented by Taylor Keen, who is of Omaha and Cherokee heritage and is a full-time instructor at Creighton University. Keen is the author of ‘Rediscovering Turtle Island: A First Peoples' Account of the Sacred Geography of America" and the founder of Sacred Seed.
ThePow Wow will include Native American singing and drumming, contest dancing and several honoring specials. There will be activities in the arena and the emcee will contribute color commentary and educate the spectators on different aspects of the dance and drumming, Native culture, art and lifestyles. Pow Wows are the Native American people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. This is a time-honored ritual to renew Native American culture and preserve the rich heritage of American Indians. Grand entries will be at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $15 for a weekend pass and $7 for a day pass. For more information, visit the North Platte Pow Wow Facebook page.
ThePow Wow will include Native American singing and drumming, contest dancing and several honoring specials. There will be activities in the arena and the emcee will contribute color commentary and educate the spectators on different aspects of the dance and drumming, Native culture, art and lifestyles. Pow Wows are the Native American people’s way of meeting together, to join in dancing, singing, visiting, renewing old friendships, and making new ones. This is a time-honored ritual to renew Native American culture and preserve the rich heritage of American Indians. Grand entries will be at 7 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 1 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $15 for a weekend pass and $7 for a day pass. For more information, visit the North Platte Pow Wow Facebook page.
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Omaha Tribe Perspective on the Fur Trade (Read More)
Taylor Keen, member of the Omaha tribe and instructor at Creighton University, will speak to the critical role that the Missouri River tribes played in the fur trade. Focusing on the perspective of the Omaha tribe, Keen will provide a nuanced account of the economic and social interactions that took place around the Missouri river during the fur trade. This program is part of an ongoing speaker series highlighting the rich history of Nebraska and Fontenelle Forest. The speaker series is in conjunction with a new exhibit - Nebraska's Deep Roots - in honor of the 200-year anniversary of the Fontenelle Trading Post. Admission is free for Fontenelle Forest members; regular admission applies for non-members ($11 adults, $10 seniors, $8 children). For more information, visit the speaker series page.
