WORLD Channel Commemorates Native American Heritage Month with Films

WORLD Channel in partnership with Vision Maker Media will commemorate Native American Heritage History Month and Veterans Day in November with the broadcast and streaming of more than 40 films that showcase the history and culture of Native Americans. These films are part of a month-long initiative that will also include several key events.

"In this time of racial reckoning, we want to acknowledge, embrace and raise up the many voices of Indigenous communities through story and celebrate the long history of a people who have overcome many struggles but who continue to fight for equality in America today," said Chris Hastings, executive producer of WORLD Channel at GBH in Boston. "Together with our partners at Vision Maker Media, we want to remind America that the voices of Native Americans must be heard, as they are part of the fabric and the history of a transforming and diverse America."

For Veterans Day on November 11, Vision Maker Media and WORLD Channel present two feature-length documentary films, The People's Protectors and Choctaw Code Talkers. These films share the stories of Native American veterans and their military service. These films aim to educate audiences further about Native American and Alaska Native involvement in the U.S. military, specifically during WWI and the Vietnam War. The films reflect on the themes of "commUNITY" and "home," warmly illustrating the contributions and impact of Native American and Alaska Native veterans.

Key highlights of the month include:

• America ReFramed: Blood Memory: For Sandy White Hawk, the story of America's Indian Adoption Era is not one of saving children but of destroying families and tribes. As an adoption survivor, Sandy sets out to reclaim the missing pieces of her stolen past and discovers that hers was not an isolated case. Blood Memory explores the communal healing that is sparked by the return of this stolen generation, as Sandy helps organize the first annual Welcome Home Ceremony in the community from which she was removed more than 60 years ago. Airs Tuesday, November 17th, at 8:00pm ET on WORLD Channel
• America ReFramed: The Blessing: Navajo coal miner, Lawrence, raises his secretive daughter as a single father, while struggling with his part in the irreversible destruction of his tribe's sacred mountain. Meanwhile, his daughter Caitlin searches for her inner identity amidst the expectations of her traditional father. A character-driven film captured over the course of five years, The Blessing brings the search for acceptance through this poetic social and environmental story on the Navajo Nation. Airs Tuesday, November 24th, at 8:00pm ET on WORLD Channel

Special Encores Include:

• Warrior Women: During the American Indian Movement, mothers and daughters like Madonna Thunder Hawk and Marcy Gilbert fought for indigenous rights, protecting families and their way of life. Warrior Women explores what it means to balance a movement with motherhood as the activist legacy is passed down from generation to generation in the face of a government that has continually met native resistance with violence. Airs Friday, November 13th, at 7:00pm ET on WORLD Channel
• Local, USA Mayors of Shiprock: Meet THE MAYORS OF SHIPROCK - that's what some people call The Northern Diné Youth Committee. These young Navajo leaders meet every week to learn about their Native culture, discuss community improvements, and work to bridge divides within their community. Some on the reservation say they DON'T have the traditional knowledge and language needed to be real leaders...but the mayors are not stopping. Airs Tuesday, November 3rd, at 9:00pm ET on WORLD Channel
• Code Talkers: In 1918, not considered citizens of the U.S., Choctaw members of the U.S. American Expeditionary Forces were asked to use their native language as a powerful tool against the German Forces in World War I, setting a precedent for code talking as an effective military weapon and establishing them as America's original Code Talkers.
• The People's Protectors: Four Native American veterans reflect on their experiences in the military during the controversial Vietnam War and how their communities helped them carry their warrior legacy proudly. From the Marine Corps to the Navy to the U.S. Army, veterans Valerie Barber, Art Owen, Sandy White Hawk, Vince Beyl and civilian eyapaha (announcer) Jerry Dearly recall their memories of one of the most contentious wars in United States history.

On November 17, 2020, at 8pm ET/7PM CST, Vision Maker Media with support of WORLD Channel will host "Tribal Sovereignty and Home," a special live stream panel discussion with Misty Frazier, executive director of the Nebraska Indian Child Welfare Coalition; Laura L. Harris, executive director and CEO of Americans for Indian Opportunity and Jim Gray, former principal chief of the Osage Nation. The panel will be moderated by investigative journalist and media critic Jenni Monet. More information can be found at worldchannel.org/events.

The free event kicks off the commUNITY themed "Tribal Sovereignty and Home" online film celebration of Native American and Alaska Native Heritage Month presented by Vision Maker Media. The films are free and open to the public for online streaming from November 16 - 30, 2020. Viewers will be able to stream the films and panel at their convenience any time during the two-week period.

Follow the social conversation of #MyHomeisHere and #commUNITY as part of our Native American Heritage Month series. For a complete list of original WORLD Channel programming, visit www.worldchannel.org/ or follow WORLD Channel on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

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