John Lowery, N.C. State Rep. and Chairman of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, left, is recorded by Austin Curt Thomas, 11, while speaking inside the office of Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., as they and fellow members of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina celebrate the passage of a bill granting their tribe federal recognition, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)



















