Oki, relatives.
A lot of news out there before the holiday weekend. Thanks for stopping by Indian Country Today’s digital platform.
Each day we do our best to gather the latest news for you. Remember to scroll to the bottom to see what’s popping out to us on social media and what we’re reading.
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Okay, here’s what you need to know today before all those weekend cookouts:
Indigenous invited to be Academy members, along with Janet Jackson
Four alumni of Sundance Institute’s Indigenous program were invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, according to Bird Runningwater, director of the program.
- Wayne Blair — Directors Branch — “Top End Wedding,” “The Sapphires”
- Ainsley Gardiner — Producers Branch — “Boy,” “Two Cars, One Night”
- Darren Dale — Producers Branch — “Deep Water – The Real Story,” “The Tall Man”
- Kimberly Norris Guerrero — Actors Branch — “The Glorias,” “Hidalgo”
The Academy announced its list of 395 artists and executives on Thursday. This year’s class is 46 percent women, 39 percent come from underrepresented ethnic or racial communities, 53 percent international from 49 countries outside of the states, according to Variety.
Other big names on the long list include Robert Pattinson, Issa Rae, Henry Golding, Janet Jackson, and more.
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More opportunities, less Colorado barriers for Natives
Tribal nations and Native people residing in Colorado have a lot to celebrate.
The state legislative session wrapped up in early June and a slew of bills benefiting tribes in the state were passed and signed into law as recently as this week.
Gov. Jared Polis signed two bills on Monday: one extends in-state tuition to students who do not live in the state but are citizens of 48 tribes with historical ties to the state; and the second is the prohibition of the use of Native themed mascots by “public schools, including charter and institute charter schools, and public institutions of higher education.”
The third bill was signed back in mid-May that allows for federally recognized tribes the ability to certify its own foster homes. Previously, only a county department of human or social services or a child placement agency had the ability to do so. READ MORE HERE.
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#KickinWithKolby: Stuff Happens
Anthony Davis. Kawhi Leonard. Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kyrie Iriving.
Those are just a handful of the NBA’s best players and biggest stars that got injured during this year’s playoffs.
I’ve seen some calls on social media for an *asterisk* to be placed next to this year’s champion. That’s a bit too far and also seems to happen every year from some small corner of the social media world. The same was said about the bubble Finals last year.
Injuries happen and at this point of the season, the old adage goes that no one is playing at 100 percent.
Although, even looking back into the regular season, it seemed there were far more injuries than in years passed. This wasn’t lost upon the game’s biggest star, LeBron James. READ MORE HERE.
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#NativeNerd review: Marvel’s Black Widow
It’s the movie so many of Marvel’s fanbase has been waiting for.
Native Nerd Vincent Schilling gave Black Widow a 9.5 out of 10. “It’s the Marvel movie we’ve been waiting for, and though it’s an excellent film, I just couldn’t shake the fact that I was watching a movie of a hero that has died.”
“Black Widow” is an excellent movie. But no matter how much Marvel gilds the lily, Natasha is no longer with this world, and that was hard to let go of. READ MORE HERE.
From social media:
Other top stories:
- Testing off-the-grid solutions to power outages. During a heat wave and blackout, a tribe on California’s far northern coast kept the electricity flowing with the help of two microgrids that can disconnect from the larger electrical grid and switch to using solar energy generated and stored in battery banks near its hotel-casino
- Family of Stonechild Chiefstick files lawsuit over police shooting. Federal suit says police should have de-escalated the encounter with the Cowichan/Cree man, who was fatally shot July 3, 2019, in a Poulsbo, Washington, park.
- Indigenous questions removal of boarding school plaque. The plaque noted the site of a burial ground for students who attended the school between 1882 and 1933.
- Justin Trudeau denounces church burnings, vandalism in Canada. Several Catholic churches have recently been vandalized or damaged in fires following the discovery of more than 1,100 unmarked graves at the sites of three former residential schools.
What we’re reading:
- Native American women face an epidemic of violence. A legal loophole prevents prosecutions.
- Catholic group gives ‘formal commitment’ to disclose all records from B.C. and Sask. residential schools
We want your tips, but we also want your feedback. What should we be covering that we’re not? What are we getting wrong? Please let us know. Email dwalker@indiancountrytoday.com.
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