Monday, January 8, 2018 — Native American ambassador…Kaya Jones?
The appointment of Kaya Jones as the Native American representative on a diversity panel ignited a firestorm of pushback, especially on social media. In her role she will ostensibly offer advice on reaching Native voters for the National Diversity Coalition for Trump, a private organization working on behalf of the president. Jones claims to have Apache heritage, but no Apache tribe claims her and her lineage is otherwise unconfirmed. We’ll sort out the facts and try to figure out how one journalist ended up in a heated Twitter argument with Cher.
Tuesday, January 9, 2018 – Understanding lupus
Lupus is sometimes called “the great pretender” because the symptoms for the autoimmune disease can look like other illnesses. Rash, fatigue, fever and joint pain are just a few of the outward signs of lupus. One study in 2014 found that American Indians and Alaska Natives have the highest prevalence and incidence of lupus compared to other groups. We’ll talk with an expert and someone living with lupus about the challenges of this sometimes baffling and painful disease.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018 — Try, try again: learning from business failure
The Bureau of Labor Statistics finds about half of all new businesses fail within the first five years. But failure isn’t always the end of the line. In business, those who learn from failure can come back with new successes. In this program, we’ll talk with Native entrepreneurs about when it’s time to fold and what lessons they learned from business failures.
Thursday, January 11, 2018 – The ongoing tragedy of missing Native American women
The family of Ashley Loring HeavyRunner (Blackfeet) are desperate for information about the 24-year-old. She was last seen in June in Browning Montana. Also, family members of Olivia Lone Bear are offering a reward for information after the 34-year-old mother of five went missing from the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara Nation in October. The two recent cases are a reminder of what advocates say is a serious issue. Canada has made strides in confronting the problem of missing and murdered Indigenous women. But there remain gaps in information and solutions about Native American women.
Friday, January 12, 2018 – Native languages go social
Students at Ayaprun Elitnaurvik, a Yup’ik immersion language school, are sharing a Yup’ik word of the week through animated YouTube videos. It’s one of the ways the school hopes to generate interest in their language as they face the loss of more and more first language speakers. Can social media expand the use of Native languages?
