The history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School (CIIS) remains one of the most painful chapters in Native American history. It continues to influence the well-being and cultural resilience of Native communities today.

Christine speaks with Dr. Amanda Cheromiah, Executive Director of the Jim Thorpe Center for the Futures of Native Peoples and a member of the Laguna Pueblo. Their conversation returns to the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and what it continues to mean today.

The Jim Thorpe Center at Dickinson College, supported by a $20 million gift from Samuel G. Rose, aims to promote Native voices and serve as a place for education and reflection. Also, the funds will support the Samuel G. Rose Art Gallery, celebrating Indigenous art and representing the largest single arts investment in Dickinson history."

The legacy of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School is still felt today, and it shapes how Native communities approach healing and education.

Dr. Cheromiah speaks about the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which operated from 1879 to 1918 on the grounds now occupied by the United States Army Carlisle Barracks. Richard Henry Pratt founded the school with the philosophy, “Kill the Indian, save the man.”

The school took children from their families and forced them to assimilate into white culture. Their languages and traditional dress were forbidden. Their long hair was cut, and their identities were suppressed. However, the impact of that history remains.

Dr. Cheromiah reflects on what it means for Native people to return to these grounds. They walk through spaces where their ancestors lived, studied, and endured. She speaks of the hope that understanding can help build bridges between communities.

This is not an easy conversation. But it is an important one.

This episode invites listeners to pause and consider what it means to remember. While changing the past is not possible, it is possible to learn from it and support Native-led efforts for healing and reconciliation. In doing so, it encourages a deeper awareness of how the history of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School continues to live in the present and shape the future.

Contact information for Dr. Cheromiah - cheromia@dickinson.edu. Follow her on Instagram @drcheromiah

Her podcast is Indigenous Revolt

• Grant opportunities for artists and arts organizations
• Funding programs for creative entrepreneurs
• Resources to help creatives build sustainable careers
• How to connect with Pennsylvania Creative Industries

Funding Information Website

Whether you're looking for support, inspiration, or a better understanding of how imagination and community intersect, this episode offers both insight and practical direction. Contact Sarah: skmerritt@pa.gov & (717) 787-1521

Season 2 closes with one of the most powerful conversations we've had.

In Episode 38, I sit down with Jane Jacobs of the Skaroreh Katenuaka Nation in North Carolina — founder of Eastern Woodland Protectors, water protector, seedkeeper, and advocate for ancestral land.

This episode runs just over an hour. Part of that time includes a reflection on Season 2 — the growth, the numbers, and the voices shared — but the heart of this finale belongs to Jane and her story.

Jane speaks about the deep connection between land, water, language, and people — how they are not separate things, but one and the same. She shares the history of her Nation's presence in North Carolina, the legacy of Indian Woods, and the responsibility to protect the land for seven generations.

We talk about the Cape Fear River, once a traditional trade and fishing route for her people — now polluted with PFAS and GenX chemicals released by Chemours, a DuPont spin-off. Jane explains how these “forever chemicals” entered the waterway and what it means for elders who still rely on that river for food.

The story of corporate pollution in this region was portrayed in the film Dark Waters starring Mark Ruffalo.

Ruffalo also produced the documentary GenX, examining the ongoing contamination of the Cape Fear River and the human cost of industrial waste: The Good Mind Project — a plan to use hemp to filter toxins from water and soil, create sustainable housing materials, and restore balance.

The conversation then turns to the 2024 confrontation at the Cedar Point / Bridge View archaeological site, one of the most significant Native archaeological discoveries in North Carolina in over 30 years. Jane and others gathered in ceremony to honor ancestral remains uncovered during construction. What followed was a violent assault and a legal battle that is still unfolding.

She shares what happened that day, the trauma that followed, and the strength it takes to forgive.

This episode is not just about activism. It is about responsibility. It is about water. It is about memory. It is about what we owe the generations coming after us.

If you want to reach Jane Jacobs or support her work, you can contact her at: easternwoodlandprotectors@gmail.com

Across Pennsylvania, and especially here in Cumberland County, conversations about data centers are no longer abstract or far-off. They're showing up on township agendas, zoning maps, and sometimes—quietly—right in our own backyards. These decisions, often made in small rooms on weeknights, have enormous consequences for our water, our land, our energy grid, and the character of our communities. Most people don't realize that municipalities are the front line. That's where the first doors open—or close—to large data-center projects. And while these developments are marketed as progress or innovation, the reality is more complicated. Many experts are now warning about an "AI data center bubble," meaning we may be building far more of these massive facilities than the industry will actually need long-term. When a bubble forms, growth is driven by hype, not stability—and when it pops, communities are often left with stranded buildings, environmental burdens, and very few benefits. We're already seeing signs of that instability. AI-related stocks have been fluctuating wildly, rising quickly on speculation and then dropping just as fast. That kind of market volatility is a reminder that this rush to build isn't grounded in guaranteed, lasting demand. And yet, our townships—and our landscapes—are asked to carry the risks. At the same time, legislation relating to warehouses and data centers is moving through the Pennsylvania House, and the Senate could take zoning control away from residents and municipalities to regulate warehouse and data center development. Bills like HB 502 and SB 939 would shift decision-making to Harrisburg or even to a single appointed official, removing the public's voice from the process entirely. If local zoning is weakened just as the AI bubble wobbles, communities could lose both their say, their protection, and the landscape they cherish. That's why this episode matters

Today's conversation with Ginny Marcille-Kerslake of Food and Water Watch breaks down what data centers really are, what's at stake for Cumberland County, how quickly these proposals can move, and how residents can use their rights under the Sunshine Act and the Municipal Planning Code (documents) to stay informed and take action. It's a lot to take in, but knowledge is power—and being aware of what's happening at your local meetings and in the state legislature is the first step in protecting our land, our water, and our future.

Ginny Marcille - Kerslake email gmarcillekerslake@fwwatch.org

Cradle of Conservation: An Environmental History of Pennsylvania

Protect Cumberland County, PA

#DataCenters, #AIDataCenters, #CumberlandCountyPA, #PennsylvaniaNews, #PAZoning, #LocalGovernment, #TownshipMeetings, #CommunityRights, #EnvironmentalProtection, #WaterResources, #FoodAndWaterWatch, #SunshineAct, #MunicipalPlanningCode, #TheWanderingPen

Names of the men

It's been fifty years since the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was lost in Lake Superior during a snow squall. Gordon Lightfoot's song "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" made the ship infamous. Lightfoot wrote the song because he felt the boat and its crew were not being honored the way they should have been.

My guest on this episode is Executive Director Bruce Lynn of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society & Museum. The Historical Society & Museum is located at Whitefish Point, approximately seventeen miles from where the "Fitz" went down. Bruce shares other stories, too, about ships that have been lost on the Great Lakes, but the focus is on the Edmund Fitzgerald and those lost. What is most important here is - it's more than just a song - more than just a shipwreck story. Twenty-nine lives that were lost on November 9, 1975, for a routine trip across Lake Superior never thought they said "good-bye" to the ones they loved for the last time. Please tune in and learn about the story and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Please share and follow The Wandering Pen Podcast so you don't miss a story.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum FaceBook Page

For the live memorial service either click on the link website link or the FB link for access to watch it live online. The service begins at 7 p.m. (est) on November 10.

The following link will take you to a video shared by the Upper Pennicila, Michigan Supply Company. It's a compelling short that is set to Lightfoots song. In it you will see footage of the "Fitz" being loaded with taconite pellets (iron ore), sailing Lake Superior and the crew on the ship. Watching the video and listening to the song is powerful.

https://upsupply.co/journal/the-wreck-of-the-edmund-fitzgerald

From the Appalachian Trail to the African savanna, this episode explores what it means to live between two wild worlds. Each year, military veteran, Brian N. Johnson travels to Kenya to lead safaris, capture wildlife through his lens, and share the powerful rhythm of life where lions hunt, zebras run, and elephants roam free.

Brian is currently developing his own tour guide busines, Alpine and Savanna Adventures, LLC, which he plans to kickoff in 2026. His mission is to invites others to experience the wonder of the wild — and to see how adventure, purpose, and conservation connect across continents.

Zoning might seem like a bureaucratic afterthought—but in truth, it's one of the most powerful forces shaping our daily lives. In this episode, we explore how zoning determines where and how we live, work, and gather. My guest is the author of Key to the City: How Zoning Shapes Our World and the founder of the National Zoning Atlas, a groundbreaking tool that brings clarity to the often-invisible rules governing land use across the country.

Together, we talk about:

• Why zoning laws matter more than most people realize

• How zoning impacts housing affordability, neighborhood design, and equit

• The environmental concerns around new development, including data centers

• How the National Zoning Atlas is helping communities understand and change their futures

From local ordinances to national patterns, this conversation sheds light on the code behind the curtain—and why it's time we all paid attention. National Atlas Website

You can get her book at

Whistlestop Book Shop

https://www.whistlestoppers.com/

Why does autumn feel like a story we're living inside? In What Remains: Autumn, Memory, and Meaning, Christine weaves poetry (Keats, George Eliot), paintings (Van Gogh, Millais), and music (Neil Diamond's "September Morn," Mumford & Sons' "October Skies") with the psychology of nostalgia—how scent, colder air, and seasonal change stir memory, belonging, and meaning. A short, reflective listen about beauty and loss, and what lingers when the leaves fall.

#Autumn, #Storytelling, #Nostalgia, #Psychology, #Keats, #GeorgeEliot, #VanGogh, #Millais, #NeilDiamond, #Mumford&Sons, #Memory, #Poetry, #Art , Music #Grief, #Identity