Despite a largely untold history of erasure and violence against their community, Native Americans are leading and contributing to our society everyday. The community is also growing. In the last decade, The American Indian and Alaska Native population increased from 5.2 million in 2010 to 9.7 million in 2020. Native people now make up almost 3% of the U.S. population. Yet, representation on television for Natives is still less than 1%, as of our most recent reporting.
While we continue to see gains in representation from Capitol Hill to Hollywood, expanding the narrative for Native Americans in media has a long way to go. In celebration of Women’s History Month, we spoke to Crystal Echo Hawk, founder and Executive Director of IllumiNative, and a citizen of the Pawnee Nation. She has been a powerful advocate for Native Americans, focused on amplifying the voices, stories and issues of her community in media content.
Dalam perbincangan Echo Hawk dengan Charlene Polite Corley dari Nielsen, Wakil Presiden Diverse Insights and Initiatives, ia berbagi tentang perlunya organisasi seperti IllumiNative untuk meningkatkan kesadaran dalam industri media. Mereka juga membahas pengaruh representasi penduduk asli Amerika kontemporer dalam acara-acara baru-baru ini seperti Reservation Dogs dan Rutherford Falls, terhadap persepsi dan pemahaman penonton tentang penduduk asli.
Namun, konten hanyalah salah satu aspek dari representasi. Echo Hawk juga berbicara tentang pekerjaannya untuk mengedukasi merek dan bisnis untuk menghentikan perampasan budaya dalam ikon merek atau maskot olahraga.
This is just a glimpse into the broader conversation at SXSW on March 12: Forget Mascots: The Native Representation TV Needs.
