We hope you enjoyed our gavel-to-gavel broadcast of the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention (#2022AFN) from Anchorage, AK, hosted by KNBA News Director Rhonda McBride.

AFN Newscast and Alaska’s Native Voice

Listen to our special newscast anchored by Hannah Bissett and Alaska’s Native Voice hosted by Antonia Gonzales below.

Or watch all three episodes on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.

KNBA 90.3 FM in Anchorage, AK  and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation are in the 26th year of providing this unique service that connects Native communities in Alaska through public radio.

October 20, 2022 Day 1

AFN Newscast

Alaska’s Native Voice: Typhoon Merbok

Indigenous communities up and down Alaska’s west coast continue to recover from a historic storm, which slammed into the state in September. Typhoon Merbok devastated Indigenous communities. People lost valuable resources from boats to fishing nets, dry houses, and other tools essential to their Indigenous hunting and fishing subsistence way of life. People also lost food they had already stored up, essential to getting them through the winter. We discuss the typhoon, emergency preparedness, and the impacts of climate change.

October 21, 2022 Day 2

AFN Newscast

Friday, October 21, 2022: Elevating Alaska Native Women

Indigenous women are leading the way, in their families, in their communities, professionally, and in politics from local, state to the national level.  Women are relying on the teaching of their ancestors, using knowledge passed on from generation to generation, to help guide them along the way. History was made in September when Mary Peltola (Yup’ik) was sworn into the U.S. House becoming the first Alaska Native person to serve in Congress. We celebrate successes, examine challenges, and look at the future generations.

October 22, 2022 Day 3

AFN Newscast

Religion.

Often an emotional subject, the lens of religion offers profound insight into the world’s cultures. Religion plays a role in the world’s conflicts, art, health and the way all humans search for meaning.

The Sacred Steps Series explores the shifting landscape of religion and spirituality. Hear stories of people and communities who balance a commitment to long-held beliefs with an active modern life. Season 2 of this series has nine episodes.

Produced by Judy Silber and KALW Public Radio.

Check out Season 1

Episode 1: 25:30
Ebola in DRC
There’s a lot of talk about the the coronavirus pandemic has taken on our collective mental health. Years ago, people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo confronted another deadly and highly contagious disease. Like now, misinformation was rampant. No one trusted the health authorities. And in-person funerals were not allowed. Mental health counselor Noe Kasali was determined to help. He recognized a problem: that in the face of so many losses, survivors had no way to grieve.

Episode 2: 20:00
Fighting Asian American racism
Former President Trump labeled COVID-19 the “China Virus” and “Kung Flu.” Since then, violence targeting Asian Americans has surged. As a result, older Asian Americans are afraid of facing attacks on their walks to the grocery store. Parents fear harassment against their kids at school. Russell Jeung, the co-founder of the Stop AAPI Hate coalition, is determined to make this reality known. TIME magazine has listed the coalition founders among its 100 most influential people for 2021.

Episode 3: 25:30
Inside an Illinois maximum security prison with a theology professor and her students
COVID-19 prison lockdowns prevented family and friends from visiting the nation’s nearly two million prisoners; they also shut down education programs. At a maximum security prison near Chicago, one seminary professor managed to keep reaching inside.

Episode 4: 19:30
A Jain tech innovator combines a religious and global perspective
Mehool Sanghrajka isn’t your typical tech CEO. To start with, his worldview is grounded in ancient Indian philosophy, one which inspires him to serve not just his close-knit religious community, but people he’s never met. He believes education is the key to improving the life chances of children. As the coronavirus pandemic forced millions of students online, his Jain worldview and tech savvy helped him to meet the moment.

Episode 5: 25:30
A Buddhist lay minister asks ‘What is a good death?’
Caroline Yongue wants to talk about death, a subject many of us would rather avoid. She’s the founder and director of the Carolina Memorial Sanctuary, a small cemetery offering environmentally-friendly burials in Western North Carolina. The Sanctuary is grounded in a Buddhist ethos and committed to restoring native ecosystems. It’s also part of a larger project to change how Americans approach death and grief — creating new ways to live with loss, from the ground up.

Episode 6: 25:30
Art and the divine fuel a mission to help sex trafficked kids
California reports more cases of human trafficking than any state. In Oakland, most sex trafficking victims are Black girls under the age 18. Regina Evans is an activist and artist using her creative gifts to call attention to this crisis and rescue girls.

Episode 7: 23:30
Calling on ancient Maya wisdom to heal Guatemalan widows
The Central American country of Guatemala promotes its indigenous heritage to tourists. At the same time, its government has historically marginalized and discriminated against the Maya, many of whom endured terrible violence during a decades-long civil war. Twenty five years after the war’s end, human rights leader Rosalina Tuyuc is promoting healing for her people based on ancient Maya wisdom.

Episode 8: 23:30
Sister Dianna Ortiz survived torture in Guatemala and became a voice for victims
Independent producer Maria Martin offers this remembrance of the late Sister Dianna Ortiz, who survived torture in Guatemala during the 1980s. She and went on to fight for human rights and to speak out about the use of torture globally. She did so until her death in February 2021, even while still suffering from the trauma of her experience.

Episode 9: 26:30
Making space for women In mosques
Women don’t always feel welcome in American mosques. They’re sometimes turned away, sent to basements to pray, or discouraged from serving on the boards of directors. Aisha al-Adawiya has devoted her life to changing that. She’s inspired a national campaign — and a fatwa — that’s persuading the men who control mosques to share space and power.

Religion.

Often an emotional subject, the lens of religion offers profound insight into the world’s cultures.
Religion plays a role in the world’s conflicts, art, health and the way all humans search for meaning.

The Sacred Steps Series explores the shifting landscape of religion and spirituality. Hear stories of people and communities who balance a commitment to long-held beliefs with an active modern life. Season 1 of this series has nine episodes.

Produced by Judy Silber and KALW Public Radio.  Check out Season 2.

Episode 1: 21:00
She sat with COVID patients as they approached death
Sarah Byrnes-Martelli is a hospital chaplain in Boston, who is caring for COVID patients when their families can’t visit, because she believes no one should die alone.

 

Episode 2: 23:00
Fighting for what’s sacred in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
For most of her life, Neets’aii Gwich’in leader Sarah James has worked to protect her homelands, including the coastal plain of the nearby Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Episode 3: 27:30
A former Israeli soldier questions his country and faith
Dean Issacharoff, a former Israeli soldier, starts to question violence towards Palestinians and finds himself under fire by his own government. He then suffers an identity crisis. What does it mean to be Jewish if he’s no longer a Zionist?

Episode 4: 30:00
A Palestinian man changes how he resists Sameer became a Palestinian fighter very early in his life. But then he heard a melody that became his touchstone for peace as he tries to walk the path of reconciliation amid one of the thorniest conflicts imaginable.

Episode 5: 26:30
Mennonite musicians who turn street ministry into song
Al and Andi Tauber are taking their ministry and music to the streets, where they’ve found heartbreak…and a family.

Episode 6: 25:00
Two fearless nuns are determined to help detained immigrants
After decades of work with immigrant detainees, Sisters JoAnn Persch and Pat Murphy still aren’t slowing down. They say their age is irrelevant when there is so much need.

Episode 7: 18:30
Risking his life to be a voice of opposition in Honduras
Honduran Catholic priest fondly known as Padre Melo risks his life to speak up on behalf of his country’s most vulnerable people. His activism can be heard on the radio airwaves.

Episode 8: 29:30
They wanted to save lives. The government accused them of crimes.
Federal prosecutors cracked down on volunteers providing humanitarian aid on the border between Arizona and Mexico. Scott Warren faced decades in prison for following his conscience.

Episode 9: 25:00
An Anti-Poverty Policymaker Finds Inspiration in Hindu Texts
A new generation of anti-poverty activists are looking to end poverty in the US by building on the movement started by Martin Luther King and others in 1968. Shailly Gupta Barnes, one of its leading tacticians. She’s an Indian American who grounds her commitment to economic justice in her family’s Hindu traditions.

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“Changing the Narrative About First Nations – Australia” details the efforts of the First Nations community to build out a messaging fellowship to fight for First Nation sovereignty and land rights, and to re-frame the narrative of “Australia Day.”

The January 26 official national day marks the landing of a British fleet on the island. For the average Australian, it’s a summer holiday for barbecue and beers with friends. For aboriginal communities is marks invasion and the onset of genocide.

Starting in 2019, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advocates began an ambitious two year effort to flip the script on sovereignty, self-determination and justice for First Nations. Now, after comprehensive communications training and robust messaging research, campaigners are making new gains on land rights and tackling damage to the climate.

This episode is produced by Words to Win By. The program takes listeners on a journey around the globe with renowned communications researcher and campaign advisor Anat Shenker-Osorio as she unpacks real-world narrative shifts that led to real-world victories.

Host of the Words to Win By, Anat Shenker-Osorio, examines why certain messages falter where others deliver. She has led research for new messaging on issues ranging from freedom to join together in union to clean energy and from immigrant rights to reforming criminal justice. Anat’s original approach has led to progressive electoral and policy victories across the globe.

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Songs of the People:  Indigenous Roots of Black Folk Music is hosted by Benjamin Mertz, a song leader in the Black Spiritual tradition.  The program looks at pre-20th Century Black music as a folk tradition, exploring its connections to its African ancestry and its similarities to the traditional music of the First Nations in North America.  With work songs, drum circles, sacred chants, and songs evoking the imagery of rivers and mountains, Black Spiritual music lives hand-in-hand with other Indigenous music traditions.

Music for this program will be taken from Benjamin Mertz’s album “Climbing Up the Mountain,” a vocal and percussion project designed to emphasize the Indigenous/folk aspects of Black traditional music.  Songs will be interspersed with historical perspectives.

Tune in for annual broadcast of the Alaska Federation of Natives Convention LIVE from Anchorage, AK, December 13-14, 2021.

LIVE: Monday, December 13:
2:00 pm – 9:00 pm (EDT)

Tuesday, December 14:
12:00 pm – 9:00 pm (EDT)

Hosted by Antonia Gonzales (Navajo), the broadcast covers the virtual convention as it happens. Listeners are able to hear the important speeches by Native leaders, state, and community representatives who are addressing the Native community as a whole.

At 12pm and 4pm (EDT), hear “Alaska’s Native Voice,” a one hour program providing the voices of AFN attendees, as well as commentary and discussions about AFN presentations and activities, with host Antonia Gonzales.

KNBA 90.3 FM in Anchorage, AK  and Koahnic Broadcast Corporation are in the 25th year of providing this unique service that connects Native communities in Alaska through public radio.

Listen:

Alaska’s Native Voice: Elders and Youth

Alaska’s Native Voice: Leaders in policy, music & culture

AFN Newscast December 13, 2021

AFN Newscast December 14, 2021

AFN Newscast Wrap-up

Alaska’s Native Voice (ANV), hosted by Antonia Gonzales of National Native News, provides up close stories and discussions with Alaska Native leaders and stakeholders. ANV is a two-part series, which airs during live coverage of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Annual Convention.

Elders and Youth: The pandemic has not stopped Alaska Native people from celebrating their cultures, languages and ways of life. Elders and youth from across Alaska did just that, in a COVID-19 safe way this fall. They spent a few days together virtually at the 2021 First Alaskans Institute’s Elders and Youth Conference. After nearly two years of dealing with pandemic life, the time was used to connect. And, the U.S. government has finally acknowledged the dark history of Indian boarding school. A federal initiative has begun, which is investigating boarding schools. An Alaska Native boarding school survivor shares his personal story advocating for truth and healing.

Leaders in Policy, Music, and Culture: Leaders from across Alaska work year-round on a number of key issues to Alaska Native people, from health care, education, justice to climate change. Many meetings, conferences and in-person gatherings continue to be held online due to COVID-19 safety precautions. Many leaders are taking part in the statewide virtual 2021 Alaska Federation of Natives Annual Convention.
Tribal leaders also advocated for their people at the first White House tribal nation’s virtual summit hosted by President Biden and his cabinet. In music and culture news, an Alaska Native model shares her thoughts about breaking into the international fashion world and an Alaska Native performing artist talks about his first solo album.