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.
Na conversa de Echo Hawk com Charlene Polite Corley, vice-presidente da Nielsen, Diverse Insights and Initiatives, ela compartilha a necessidade de uma organização como a IllumiNative para aumentar a conscientização no setor de mídia. Elas também discutem a influência da representação contemporânea dos nativos americanos em programas recentes, como Reservation Dogs e Rutherford Falls, nas percepções e no entendimento do público sobre os povos nativos.
O conteúdo, entretanto, é apenas um aspecto da representação. Echo Hawk também fala sobre seu trabalho de educar marcas e empresas para impedir a apropriação cultural de ícones de marcas ou mascotes esportivos.
This is just a glimpse into the broader conversation at SXSW on March 12: Forget Mascots: The Native Representation TV Needs.
