Our strategic planning and execution balanced public pressure with targeted, fact-based advocacy. Dozens of press stories in local and national outlets and press conference remarks and committee testimony were rooted in a deep understanding of the interplay between public sentiment, media coverage and legislative action. No matter the issue Prairie Band spoke on or the law they advocated for, all messaging went back to the fact that their Reservation land in Illinois was illegally taken from them by the U.S. government. By leveraging public pressure through a well-orchestrated communication strategy, Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation created a sense of urgency and moral imperative around their legislative efforts.

By maintaining a focused narrative on the restitution of land and addressing historical injustices, the campaign effectively mobilized public opinion and supported legislative efforts that led to the passage of a bill allowing for the burial of Native remains on public lands and mandating the teaching of Native history in public schools. Their efforts culminated in the passage of a historic piece of legislation in the Land Back movement: the state legislature voted to transfer a state park that occupies Prairie Band’s original ancestral lands back to the Nation. Publications that covered Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation’s campaign include the following: the Associated Press, NBC, Chicago Tribune, Indian Gaming, ProPublica, WVON, Chicago Public Radio, Black Chronicle, and dozens of other local and national outlets.