Monday, August 24, 2020 – Virtual Vision Maker
This year’s Vision Maker Media Film Festival is premiering online. That means audiences will have free access to more than a dozen Indigenous-made films including “Powwow Highway: The Lego Movie” by Jonathan Thunder, “Sweetheart Dancers” a short film about a Two-Spirit couple by Ben-Alex Dupris, and “Wildfire” a short drama about a runaway teen by Bretten Hannam. We’ll get a behind-the-scenes look at a sampling of films from some of the filmmakers.
Tuesday, August 25, 2020 – Trump Administration plans Arctic National Wildlife Refuge oil leases
The U.S. Department of Interior could put oil and gas leases up for auction in the Arctic Wildlife National Refuge by the end of the year according to Secretary David Bernhardt. The Trump administration recently cleared another hurdle for resource extraction in in the pristine wilderness. Some tribes in the area oppose drilling, saying that it will harm the caribou populations that are critical to their cultural survival. Others support drilling because of the added jobs and other economic benefits.
Wednesday, August 26, 2020 – Book of the Month: “Standing with Standing Rock: Voices from the #NoDAPL Movement”
Mni Wiconi – “Water is Life” – is a phrase that echoed around the planet in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. It united people and gave a renewed unity to the Oceti Sakowin. We reflect on this movement with “Standing with Standing Rock: Voices from the #NoDAPL Movement” which features the words of many people who were moved to take a stance and those who made the struggle to protect water stronger. The book captures this moment in time with poetry and prose, essays, photography and interviews. We visit with one of the book’s editor’s Nick Estes, a citizen of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe.
Thursday, August 27, 2020 – Insights on preterm birth
Preterm birth rates for Native mothers are consistently higher than the national average. More than one in ten Native pregnancies fail to reach full term. Any birth before 37 weeks has statistical risks, but depending on how premature they are, preterm newborns face a myriad of health dangers including serious brain, heart, and gastrointestinal problems. There are a number of prenatal risk factors, some of which mothers have control over to help their babies go to full term. We’ll talk about premature births and what parents of premature babies should expect.
Friday, August 28, 2020 – August in the news
An Indigenous woman will challenge the incumbent in Wyoming’s upcoming congressional election, a first for the state that also saw three other Native candidates advance through primary elections. They are among the growing list of Native candidates on ballots all across the country. We’ll touch in on a few of them and hear what issues they are running on. We’ll catch up on important Native news in our regular news round-up.
