Native American Heritage Month is about honoring resilience. It’s about celebrating culture and innovation. But it’s also about naming the barriers Indigenous communities still face.
In northeastern Wisconsin, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community—also known as the Mole Lake Band of Lake Superior Chippewa—honors tradition while embracing new opportunities. For generations, they’ve protected wild rice beds that sustain both their people and their traditions. That work is sacred. It’s survival. And now, alongside those traditions, the community is finally getting the chance to embrace the opportunities that access to technology brings.
John Potter has spent decades serving northeastern Wisconsin, building trust across Forest, Oneida, and Vilas counties through public service, nonprofit leadership, and education advocacy. From his work on county boards and library committees to his role on the Forest County Broadband Committee, he’s become a trusted voice for rural communities navigating change. Today, as a program manager contracted by Human-I-T, John draws on those deep roots to connect families with the digital tools they need. And he provides us with firsthand experiences of the impact that closing the digital divide has on the people in his community.
Economic Transformation at Mole Lake
A Casino That Fuels Community Growth
The Mole Lake Casino is a symbol of self-determination for the Sokaogon Chippewa Community. Since opening, it has created steady employment for tribal members and nearby residents. Revenue flows directly back into programs that strengthen the community. The casino is a reliable anchor for many families in this community. It helps put food on their tables and supports initiatives that preserve tribal sovereignty.
Casino revenue funds scholarships, healthcare services, and cultural events that keep traditions alive. Growth here isn’t only measured in dollars and cents. It’s measured in the well-being of the people themselves. Every reinvested dollar sustains wild rice beds, language programs, and ceremonies that define identity.
Economic transformation now includes access to the digital world. With Human-I-T’s $1.7 million Wisconsin grant, the tribe received 100 laptops, each carefully prepared by their IT department. They made sure the devices were ready to use from the moment they were turned on. That attention to detail reflects the same care they bring to cultural preservation: technology introduced with respect, not disruption.
Potter explained, “They wanted to go through each laptop and set it up for residents. That’s why there was a delay at first, but once they started, they gave away 30 or 40 in just two weeks.”
Cultural Preservation Through Technology
Cultural preservation has always been inseparable from learning. Wild rice, language, and ancestral knowledge remain central to the Sokaogon Chippewa identity. Today, education also means preparing young people to thrive in a digital world. Cheyenne, the tribe’s education coordinator, has championed a program that ensures students can pursue remote learning while staying connected to their community. With laptops provided through Human-I-T’s Wisconsin grant, students can attend classes at Nicolet College or other institutions, most of which are much too far to travel to. There is little to no infrastructure around public transportation in the whole of northeastern Wisconsin.
For students, it means logging into class without barriers. And for families, it means having reliable tools to support learning at home. It means being able to more easily pay their bills and do their banking. For elders, it means access to healthcare.
Potter remembers the emotional reactions from those who received a laptop. “When elders received laptops, some even cried. They looked at me like, is this real? That’s when you know it’s life-changing.”
Bridging Generations
Digital equity, particularly for Native Americans, is also about strengthening ties across generations. Elders continue to share stories and traditions, while younger members gain the tools to pursue higher education and new opportunities. Technology becomes a bridge, allowing heritage and modern opportunity to grow side by side. It allows tribal governments to manage resources more effectively, streamline operations, attract investments, and support local businesses.
Technology is also a vital tool for documenting, preserving, and sharing endangered Native languages, oral histories, and traditions. Digital archives, online language courses, and multimedia platforms (videos, podcasts) help transmit cultural knowledge to younger generations and a wider audience.
In this way, the Sokaogon Chippewa Community shows that cultural preservation and digital inclusion are complementary paths toward a brighter future.
Honoring Heritage, Building Opportunity
Human-I-T’s work in northeastern Wisconsin demonstrates a model that goes far beyond distributing devices. Through the grant, Human-I-T has already distributed 600+ computers in northeastern Wisconsin in just two months, with a total of 2,500 planned.
This demonstrates Human-I-T’s ability to meet urgent digital equity needs. Because nothing matters more to us than making sure the people who need access to technology the most get it. And the support to use it.
But the true measure of success is in the stories. Elders gaining independence, students pursuing higher education, and families staying connected all point to a larger truth. Digital equity is essential infrastructure for modern life.
All of the stories are a reminder that closing the digital divide is not just about technology. It’s about people. It’s about honoring heritage while opening doors to opportunity. And it’s about ensuring that every community, no matter how rural or underserved, has the chance to thrive in the digital age.
