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The history of the Ģ����Ƶ Valley cannot be told without the voices of the Native leaders who once called this region home. will honor that legacy during a Native American Heritage Month program on Friday, Nov. 14, from 9 a.m. to noon in the Riffe Rotunda.

The featured presenter will be Dan Harmon, a Dawson-Bryant High School teacher with Cherokee heritage and deep personal connections to Native culture. Harmon will focus his talk on Shawnee leaders Chief Blue Jacket and Tecumseh, whose leadership and resistance shaped the course of the Ģ����Ƶ Valley in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Blue Jacket, once based near the Scioto and Miami rivers, rose to prominence as a war chief, uniting Native tribes against U.S. expansion. Tecumseh, remembered as both a warrior and visionary, carried forward that struggle while calling for unity among Native nations across the Midwest.

“These leaders were central figures in our region’s past,” Harmon said. “By learning about them, we see how Native voices and cultures remain essential to the story of the Ģ����Ƶ Valley.”

Harmon, who once lived and taught on the Cherokee reservation in North Carolina, has long worked to bridge cultures and preserve Native traditions. Beyond the classroom, he has organized food and toy drives for Cherokee families and participated in mission projects supporting community needs.

The program is open to the public, and local secondary schools are invited to attend. To register a classroom, educators can contact Student Services Director Robert Pleasant with the number of students who will be participating.

The presentation is also part of America 250 Lawrence County’s efforts to commemorate the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary in 2026. America 250 is a nationwide initiative encouraging communities to reflect on the country’s history, honor the people who shaped it, and imagine the future. As part of the commemoration locally, Lawrence County leaders plan to commission a mural at the Ironton riverfront honoring Chief Blue Jacket.

“Native American history is woven into the story of this region, and this event gives us the opportunity to learn, reflect, and celebrate that heritage together,” said Dr. Deborah Marinski, dean of Ģ����Ƶ University Southern.