Monday, Sept. 25, 2017 — Getting to the root of Alaska suicides with “We Breathe Again”
The new documentary, “We Breathe Again” premieres on PBS on Sept. 26. It puts faces to the troubling issue of suicide in Alaska. A 2012 study by Alaska State Epidemiology found suicide rates among Alaska Native men ages 15 to 24 are more than three times higher than their non-Native counterparts. The filmmakers go beyond the statistics and expose the underlying causes and the daily human struggle to rise above the heartbreaking momentum.
Tuesday, September 26, 2017 – Rethinking reenactments
Resentment by Native people in New Mexico is rising over an annual reenactment of Spanish conquistadors retaking Santa Fe in 1692. Frustration boiled over this year, resulting in the arrest of eight people protesting the Entrada de Don Diego de Vargas.
Organizers of the annual pageant say they’re commemorating a “peaceful resettlement.” Native opponents say the demonstration does not accurately represent the bloody oppression that accompanied the actual historical events.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017 –Book of the Month: “Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs of New Mexico”
The experiences of Indigenous women heading up their own businesses and the lessons they learned are the focus of our Book of the Month feature. “Indigenous Women Entrepreneurs of New Mexico: Surpassing Barriers and Stereotypes” opens the doors to the lives of a handful of women from different tribal nations. The book details their pursuit of business practice and philosophy that integrates their indigenous values and traditions. We meet some of the book’s contributors and learn how they carved out a space for their ambitions and ideas.
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 — Adjusting to vision loss
In addition to the difficulty of relearning some daily tasks, sighted people who experience vision loss are more likely to report depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Eye Institute warns that 16 percent of Native Americans are at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of blindness in adults. Cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration and stroke are some of the other causes of vision loss.
Friday, September 29, 2017 –September in the news
Indian Country Today Media Network is “taking a hiatus to consider alternative business models.” We’ll talk with Native journalists about the future of Native media. Also the leaders and members of the Navajo Nation are discussing lifting a 2002 moratorium on genetic research. And will the Trump administration dramatically reduce the boundaries of Bears Ears?
