Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis will speak to the Knox County Democratic Committee via Zoom on Tuesday, April 13, at 6 p.m., prior to KCDC’s monthly business meeting. All registered Democrats are welcome to attend; advance registration is required no later than 10 a.m. on April 13.

Francis will speak on behalf of the Wabanaki Alliance about its pending legislation before the Maine Legislature to update the 1980 Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act. According to the Alliance, changes in the settlement act are needed; since its implementation in 1980, the tribes in Maine have been left out of 151 federal laws that benefit the other 570 federally recognized tribes across the country.

Francis was born and raised at Indian Island, the home of the Penobscot Nation. He has been the elected chief of the Penobscot Indian Nation for more than nine years and is the longest serving chief since the electoral system began in 1850.

He is currently treasurer of the United South and Eastern Tribes, an organization of 26 tribal nations, and also chairs the Natural Resource Committee for the National Congress of American Indians, the organization’s largest committee representing tribes nationwide.

To register for the meeting, visit tinyurl.com/pjasd6ws.