A Personal Milestone: Meeting Chairman John Lowery

I’m incredibly honored to share that I’ve been invited to meet with Chairman John Lowery of the Lumbee Tribe on Wednesday, August 7, 2025.

This invitation means more than words can express. It is a recognition of my work as a Deaf and Lumbee author, and my ongoing advocacy for federal recognition of the Lumbee people through H.R. 474.

As the founder of Silent Feather Press, I’ve dedicated my books to truth, healing, and the preservation of Indigenous and Deaf stories. My memoir Signs from the Spirit was written in honor of my late father a Lumbee man whose strength and spirit continue to guide me. Sharing that book with Chairman Lowery this week will be one of the most meaningful moments of my journey so far.

I thank the Lumbee Tribe for this recognition and the opportunity to be seen not only as an author but as a voice for those who have long been unheard.

This meeting is not just mine  it belongs to my community, to the ones we’ve lost, and to the generations still rising.

🪶

— Sondra Sampson

Author of Signs from the Spirit

Founder, Silent Feather Press