Mille Lacs Band Of Ojibwe Holds Annual State Of The Band Ceremony

The drums were playing and the people were seated at Grand Casino Mille Lacs as the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe held its annual State of the Band ceremony. Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin delivered the State of the Band address and said there is a lot on the horizon for the Band, including new small businesses and a new community center.

A key source for the Band and its needs is listening to its members, as Chief Executive Benjamin says that all decisions are made with the Band members in mind first.

The address didn’t go without addressing some struggles that Band face, including the opioid epidemic, which has ravaged the Band as well as the rest of the United States. In 2017, 12 Band members died from overdoses, and the Band strives to take measures in the coming year to combat the disease of addiction, which has generational effects.

The Band strives to fight the epidemic using the ripple effect to turn negative ripples into positive ones.

And finally, when asked what the State of the Band is, Chief Executive Melanie Benjamin said the State of the Band are the people.