Federal legislation to recognize the Lumbee Tribe will be named for tribe activist and leader Julian Pierce who worked to provide resources and recognition for the Lumbee people and marginalized communities, the Lumbee Tribal Council voted Feb. 18. The Julian Thomas Pierce Memorial Lumbee Recognition Act of 2021 is new legislation calling for federal recognition of the Lumbee people, a long sought-after effort that Pierce advocated for in the late 1970s and 1980s. Lumbee Tribal Council voted unanimously to name the legislation after Pierce. There has been an outpouring of support on the tribe's Facebook page. "It was an easy vote for them and I'm very grateful to them for doing that because it shows the collaborative effort in the tribal government," Tribal Chairman Harvey Godwin said. "That is what our bill means."