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.
Nella conversazione di Echo Hawk con Charlene Polite Corley, VP, Diverse Insights and Initiatives di Nielsen, quest'ultima condivide la necessità di un'organizzazione come IllumiNative per sensibilizzare l'industria dei media. I due discutono anche dell'influenza della rappresentazione contemporanea dei nativi americani in spettacoli recenti come Reservation Dogs e Rutherford Falls, sulla percezione e sulla comprensione del pubblico nei confronti dei nativi.
Il contenuto, tuttavia, è solo un aspetto della rappresentazione. Echo Hawk parla anche del suo lavoro per educare i marchi e le aziende a fermare l'appropriazione culturale nelle icone dei marchi o nelle mascotte sportive.
This is just a glimpse into the broader conversation at SXSW on March 12: Forget Mascots: The Native Representation TV Needs.
