Monday, December 2, 2019 – Fighting HIV/AIDs in Native America
HIV infection rates among Native Americans continue to rise. The most recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a 46 percent increase for all Native Americans from 2010 to 2016. The agency points to factors like lack of awareness, stigma, poverty and illicit drug use as the key challenges health advocates are up against in trying to lower new infection rates. The Indian Health Service recently awarded more than $2 million to nine of its Tribal Epidemiology Centers to help reduce new HIV infections as part of a national plan to “end the HIV epidemic.” To acknowledge World AIDs Day, we’ll discuss on the challenges of lowering HIV infection rates in Native America and what work is being done.
Tuesday, December 3, 2019 – Examining the Red Pedagogy Indigenous curriculum
A group of educators in North Carolina are appealing a ruling that rejected their application for an Indigenous-focused charter school. Members of the Charter Schools Advisory Board took issue with the term “red pedagogy” coined by academic Dr. Sandy Grande (Quechua). Red pedagogy is an educational theory that focuses on Native thought. One board member expressed concerns it would be “divisive instead of bringing unity.” We’ll learn more about ‘red pedagogy’ and talk with the educators working to start the charter school.
Wednesday, December 4, 2019 – Perspective on the Osage reign of terror
With a best-selling book and upcoming movie, the tragedy of the multiple murders of Osage people in the 1920s is getting a lot of attention. Descendants of the victims and Osage tribal members are expressing excitement and apprehension about the pending movie adaptation of the book, Killers of the Flower Moon. Director Martin Scorsese met with Osage Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear to discuss filming in Oklahoma. Big name stars like Robert Di Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio are part of the project. We’ll get perspectives from descendants about this and other accounts of the tragic chapter in Osage history.
Thursday, December 5, 2019 – Reclaiming traditional birth
Doreen Day (Bois Forte Band) is an oondaadiziikekwe, which is the Ojibwe word for midwife. She is passionate about teaching traditional birth and encouraging Native women to reclaim the birth process. We’ll talk with Day and other midwives about the growing practice of home births and observing traditional practices at the beginning of life.
Friday, December 06, 2019 – Music Maker: “The Unsustainable Sessions” by Klee Benally
Diné recording artist Klee Benally just unleashed his new album and we are putting a spotlight on it. “The Unsustainable Sessions” is his second acoustic album and—much like his first album—uses biting lyrics to create what he calls Indigenous acoustic agitation for liberation against despair. “So long as we’re fighting for justice, art should help move people into action,” Benally says. Tune in to hear more from December Music Maker Klee Benally.
