Native American Press in Wisconsin and the Nation, 1982 to the Present

In late April 1982, James P. Danky organized a conference titled "Native American Press in Wisconsin and the Nation," an extension of the work Danky had been engaged in as newspapers and periodicals librarian at the Wisconsin Historical Society, which brought native editors and publishers together with academic historians. We were engaged in writing a historical reference guide to American Indian and Alaska native newspapers and periodicals, and we learned that Danky and colleague Maureen Hady were involved with a similar project. At the conference we all agreed to cooperate in our research and share information. Attendees reached consensus on a number of issues at that time: the Native press was under significant financial difficulty; press freedoms were often abused; a need existed for an association of native publishers and editors. Other issues came to light, including the need for a systematic, ongoing project to collect the products of the native press and report research on the subject as a means of documenting contemporary native life. Danky and Hady's work helped to lay the foundation for this project that continues to this day at the Sequoyah Research Center.