Wednesday, July 1, 2026 — Native historians elevate overlooked history in the wake of America250 celebrations

Fifteen days after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, the new nation signed its first international treaty with the Wolastoqey and Mi’kmaq Nations of present-day Maine. It’s a history that historian and Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians ambassador Osihkiyol Crofton-Macdonald wishes more Americans knew. Brown University assistant professor and Narragansett Nation citizen Dr. Mack Scott III is working to get Black and Indigenous histories better integrated into the K-12 curriculum in northeastern schools. This includes histories like how Narragansett citizens fought in the 1st Rhode Island Regiment, a unit long celebrated as an all-Black unit. We’ll hear from Native historians about reclaiming these narratives along with their tribes’ stories from 1776. GUESTS Osihkiyol Crofton-Macdonald (Wolastoqey). tribal ambassador for the Houlton Band of Maliseet Mack Scott III (Narragansett), assistant professor at Brown University Jeremy Johnson (Delaware Tribe of Indians), cultural education director for the Delaware Tribe of Indians   Break 1 Music: Wolastoq Song by Saqatay (song) Mawi Sakolikapuwicik Singers (artist) Break 2 Music: Tsudadatla Tsisqwa (song) Kalyn Fay (artist) Garden (album)