Hello Crosswinds Community,

As we close out the first half of 2026, we're grateful for your continued support. June was one of our busiest months yet! Bringing people together, amplifying Native voices, preserving important stories, and reporting on the issues that matter most to Native communities across Oklahoma and beyond.

And at Crosswinds, we believe local news is about more than just reporting. It's about strengthening relationships, sharing culture, trading knowledge, and creating opportunities for Native communities to thrive.

Here's what we accomplished together this month.

Building Community

One of the highlights of June was our first Tulsa Native American Community Center Listening Session, where more than 55 community members gathered to help shape the future of a Native community center in Tulsa.

The evening built upon our community survey and gave attendees the opportunity to discuss possible locations, programming, partnerships, and long-term visions for a space designed by and for Native people. Thank you to everyone who attended and shared your ideas—we look forward to continuing this important community-led effort.

Watch the full video here:

June also marks the conclusion of Crosswinds piloting the Native News & Events Podcast. To celebrate, we're hosting a special full episode June 30, where we'll bring together segments from our pilot into one community experience.

Thank you to everyone who listened, submitted Open Mic recordings, shared episodes, and helped make this new community resource a success. You can continue listening and watching on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and CrosswindsNews.net.

Amplifying Native Voices

Our inaugural StoryKeepers Cohort is wrapping up, and we couldn't be prouder of what participants have accomplished.

The first published StoryKeepers feature comes from Whitney Pingleton, who courageously shares the story of losing her mother, Stephanie, to a fentanyl overdose and her ongoing pursuit of justice. Whitney's work reflects exactly what StoryKeepers was created to do, preserve lived experiences while creating space for healing, understanding, and community conversation.

Preserving history also remained a focus this month as the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition's Oral History Project completed its final stop in Tulsa. Over four days, elders shared their boarding school experiences, ensuring these important histories will be preserved for future generations.

Beyond Oklahoma, we explored an exciting effort underway in Nova Scotia, where cultural artifacts, including family photographs and letters, will be returned from the Smithsonian to the future Mi'kmawey Debert Cultural Centre. Executive Director Tim Bernard shared how this historic transfer will reconnect Mi'kmaq families with pieces of their own history when the center opens in 2028.

Reporting with Context

Crosswinds continued reporting on the issues affecting Native communities while providing the historical and cultural context often missing from mainstream coverage.

This month we examined newly released Tulsa Equality Indicators showing that Native American youth in Tulsa are four times more likely than White youth to experience homelessness, highlighting the need for culturally informed community solutions.

We also featured the Indian Health Care Resource Center's Native Youth Drum Group, an initiative demonstrating how cultural connection can strengthen health and well-being for Native youth.

StoryKeepers participant Alexie Lofstrom-Dewes explored another growing issue: the impact of social media on Native youth mental health. Her reporting examines how increased screen time can contribute to isolation while emphasizing the importance of strengthening real-world community connections.

As the United States prepares to commemorate its 250th anniversary, we shared the Associated Press', "Red, White and Blue: A Strategy for Survival," exploring how Native Nations have navigated 250 years of American history while continuing to preserve their cultures, languages, sovereignty, and identities. It serves as a reminder that Native history is not confined to the past; it continues to shape our shared future.

Conversations That Inspire

This month's Talking Winds Podcast featured award-winning Choctaw filmmaker Mark Williams, who shared his journey through the film industry, his passion for documentary storytelling, and his commitment to ensuring Native people have the opportunity to tell their own stories.

Listen to the full podcast episode here.

Looking Ahead

This summer, Crosswinds will launch a new Solutions Journalism series exploring Native-led solutions around community centers, tourism, economic development, and other issues impacting Indian Country. Rather than simply reporting on challenges, these stories will highlight communities creating meaningful change and ideas that can inspire others.

Click here for more information about this exciting upcoming series.

Planning is also underway for the Indigenous Roots Community Summit, taking place October 2–4. We've announced our open call for session proposals, and we hope you'll consider presenting, attending, or sharing your expertise with the community.

If your organization is passionate about strengthening Native communities and would like to sponsor our solutions journalism reporting and/or Indigenous Roots, we'd love to start that conversation!

Looking for more ways to connect with Native communities across Oklahoma? Be sure to visit the Crosswinds Calendar, your one-stop resource for Native events, cultural activities, workshops, powwows, and community gatherings.

Upcoming events include:

• July 3: Cherokee Nation Traditional Games
• July 14: Cedar Circle Book Club
• July 22-23: Mvskoke Play Summer Camp
• July 25-26: Tulsa Indian Club's 74th Annual Powwow

Because Of You

Everything we accomplish is possible because of readers, members, partners, donors, sponsors, and community members who believe Native stories matter.

Whether we're reporting the news, truth-telling local history, training the next generation of Native storytellers, convening conversations around community issues, or creating spaces for Native voices to be heard, your support makes this work possible.

Thank you for standing with Crosswinds. If you haven't already, we invite you to become a free or paid member of Crosswinds News. Together, we can ensure Native stories continue to be told boldly and widely for years to come.

See you in July!

The Crosswinds News Team