Answering the Call for Better Native and Indigenous Representation

SAG-AFTRA welcomed the non-profit organization IllumiNative to discuss their work on Native American and Indigenous representation in Hollywood on April 15 as part of Stop the Hate Week. The session was led by SAG-AFTRA Native Americans Committee member, actor-producer, Princess Daazhraii Johnson (Molly of Denali) and IllumiNative Chief Executive Officer and President Crystal Echo Hawk.

IllumiNative is dedicated to transforming public perceptions of Native peoples. Echo Hawk discussed the creation of IllumiNative, and how her and others’ personal experiences inform its work. She also detailed IllumiNative’s Reclaiming Native Truth Project, a study that investigated dominant narratives associated with Native Americans and Indigenous people, and their effects on the community. 

“What we found is one of the greatest threats to Native people is our invisibility and erasure, [because] it’s really those things that are perpetuated by big systems such as education, media and pop culture and have real-world consequences,” said Echo Hawk.

Watch the discussion below and to learn more about IllumiNative, visit illuminatives.org.

To watch other Stop the Hate Week panels and interviews, choose from the following list:

• Disability Inclusion in Hollywood 
• Seasoned Performers: Senior Representation On-Screen 
• Moving from Conversation to Action
• Middle Eastern/North African Performers: Hollywood’s Journey to Equity   
• Widen the Screen 
• Normalizing Diversity: Change the Narrative  
• UCLA’s Hollywood Diversity Report Series: Connecting the Dots Between Industry Inclusion and the Bottom Line  
• Tired of Talk: More Latinos On Screen
• Where We Are Today: LGBTQ Performers in the Workplace 

The views expressed by the guests are their own and not that of SAG-AFTRA. Any mention of products or services does not imply SAG-AFTRA’s endorsement.