The 38th annual North Carolina Indian Unity Conference will be held Feb. 28 through March 2, at the Sheraton Greensboro Hotel at Four Seasons in the Joseph S. Koury Convention Center, Greensboro.

The Theme of the Conference is “Planting the Future From Our Tradition Roots Through Healthy Eating.” The conference is held annually and is sponsored by United Tribes of North Carolina in collaboration with the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs, eight Indian tribes and four urban Indian Associations.

The N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs will hold its quarterly meeting on Feb. 28 at the Convention Center, prior to the opening of the conference. The meeting will last from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The purpose of the conference is to provide a forum through which the American Indians can come together and address issues of concern and discuss strategic plans to address those issues. Like many other communities the American Indian community has Indian health, education, socio-economic, cultural and political issues that need to be address.

The N.C. Indian Unity Conference is the only conference of its type in North Carolina, and has for 38 years proven to be an effective venue to address public policy issues that affect American Indians and Indian communities, say organizers.

The conference provides an opportunity to gather state, local, national and local American Indian and non Indian leaders to discuss issues, identify resources and develop strategic plans for the upcoming years ahead.

The objectives of the Conference are:

• To encourage harmony and unity among American Indian tribes and communities in the state.

• To increase awareness of American Indian issues.

• To provide a forum to develop strategies to address challenges faced by American Indians in North Carolina.

• To celebrate the traditional and contemporary history of American Indians in North Carolina.

• To promote resource and economic development, job creation, educational attainment etc., among the American Indian population.

North Carolina is home to eight Indian tribes and four urban Indian Associations and a population of 122,000 according to the 2010 U.S. Census.

The conference is open to the public and the registration information is available on the N.C. Commission of Indian Affairs webpage at www.doa.nc.gov/cia/.