Jeanette Centeno

By now, most of us have heard of some university or corporation having a land acknowledgment ceremony but what exactly is land acknowledgment? According to Northwestern University: Land acknowledgement or territory acknowledgement, is a formal statement that recognizes the indigenous people of that land. Furthermore, it highlights the existing ties….

Warriors are made out of struggle and in Native culture, legends play an essential role in how we organize, defend, and take care of one another. We organize to seek change in our communities filled with violence, injustice, racism, and crime. One such organization was The American Indian Movement, founded….

By now, most of us have heard the story of Andreas Garcia, a Native American boy who got his hair cut by classmates, against his will. The news splashed across many news outlets and yet the real issue is still unresolved. Garcia (Kickapoo Nation) was visibly shaken and angry when….

We all know by now that the Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge to the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), which makes it difficult to separate Native American children from their families, tribes and indigenous heritage. Despite having support from both Republican and Democratic….

Cliff Matias remembers arriving with his team in Standing Rock in 2016, during the Dakota Access Pipeline Protests (#NoDAPL). The protests erupted as a grassroots opposition to the construction of Energy Transfer Partners’ Dakota Access Pipeline. 5yrs ago I was in Standing Rock with the water protectors. The fight to….

Veterans Day is the one day a year, we set aside to honor our military heroes that have fought and died in order to protect the people. Sadly, the United States has a complex history with indigenous veterans, failing to properly acknowledge their sacrifice and often times ignoring their patriotism…..

You may have seen the “Fox News Primetime” segment in which hosts Rachel Campos-Duffy and Jesse Watters defended Columbus Day and depicted indigenous people as violent alcoholics who are dependent on the government. This egregious dose of misinformation drew instant backlash from the indigenous community, many of whom have grown….

The hit series “Reservation Dogs,” created by Sterling Harjo and Taika Waititi, has accomplished something few other shows have: it’s managed to introduce a mainstream audience to Native American culture without leaning on reductionist stereotypes. The show’s mass appeal is undeniable but it still manages to “feel Native,” and it’s….

The disappearance of Gabby Petito on September 11, 2021, in Wyoming, garnered mass media coverage and unwavering support like I’ve never seen. The fact is, according to U.S. Department of Justice, 710 indigenous women have vanished in Wyoming within the last ten years and none have gotten mass media coverage,….

Marvel has a reputation for creating fictional superheroes that resonate with audiences worldwide. Come late fall, indigenous fans of Marvel will have one of their very own. The Disney+ series “Hawkeye” will feature two indigenous actors, Alaqua Cox (Menominee) as Maya Lopez and Zahn McClarnon (Lakota) as William Lopez. Other….

Opinion By now, we’ve all seen the news of Dominique (Arapaho/Cheyenne) from Clinton, Oklahoma, who was allegedly attacked by two other boys who cut off several inches of his hair. The story sent shockwaves throughout Indian Country. The young boy expressed he was traumatized by the event and initially did….

More than one in five indigenous adults smoke, compared to 13.7 of adults overall. And according to the CDC, indigenous people have the highest prevalence of commercial tobacco users, compared to other ethnic groups. As a result, Native Americans are widely plagued by cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, diabetes, low birth….