Abenaki Nation, Missisquoi Leadership Shares Vaccine Clinic Experience

From Vermont Business Magazine online, May 6, 2021. Link here.

The Abenaki Nation of Missisquoi Leadership shared a reflection on a COVID-19 vaccine clinic held April 25 at the Abenaki Tribal Office:

“It was the best possible turn out, we were able to vaccinate 130 people. We had worried people would not attend the clinic because there is so much distrust in the Abenaki community when it comes to the State. Once Missisquoi leadership explained this to the representatives from the Department of Health, they spent an unbelievable number of hours providing appropriate materials and messaging for the community which seems to have made a difference. Our only difficulty on the day was the lack of connectivity, which is a struggle for everyone in the remote areas of Vermont. We had an opportunity to express our concerns about this issue with Dr. Levine when he stopped by to see how the clinic was going.”

As Vermont Abenaki Recognition & Heritage Week draws to a close, we will continue to honor our Abenaki neighbors and reflect on the struggle to achieve state recognition, the wisdom to connect with each other through storytelling and tradition, and the importance of protecting the land and its resources.