Levi Rickert Honored With 2026 Tecumseh Peacekeeping Award

Native News Online founder and publisher Levi Rickert was honored with the 2026 Tecumseh Peacekeeping Award for his contributions to Native journalism and Indigenous communities.
on Aug 17, 2026

2026 Tecumseh Peacekeeper Award Goes to Levi Rickert

Levi Rickert, the founder and publisher of Native News Online, received the 2026 Tecumseh Peacekeeper Award from the American Indian Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan.
The honor was bestowed upon him at a ceremony held at the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Rickert had established a Native news platform under the organization known as Native News Online, which was dedicated to providing news that affected the Native population in America. Some of the areas addressed by Native News Online included tribal sovereignty, Indigenous culture, education, healthcare, environmental issues, and more.

As an individual from the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, Rickert had been involved in the struggle to give more attention to Native journalists in the field of journalism. Previously, his works were noted by the Native American Journalists Association that awarded him a Native Media Award in the category Best Column in 2021.

In this sense, the importance of the award lay in the connection with Tecumseh, the great Shawnee leader, whose legacy was related to diplomacy, leadership, and the unification of Natives.

It is necessary to note that the award highlighted not only Rickert’s personal contribution but also the significant contribution made by Native journalism.

Native News Online had provided a consistent platform for the Native narrative in its various forms, which was not always covered in the mainstream media. Since it was launched in 2011, the publication had become an established Native-run newsroom that dealt with various problems of American Indians and Alaska Natives.

Tecumseh Peacekeeping Award 2026 had been one more award that Rickert had received during his journalism career. This was a recognition of his dedication to Native community and responsibility.