KIPI News March 8, 2023 – Part 1

2 min read

An Open Casting Call for “Reservation Dogs” Brings Thousands to Audition. An open casting call for the upcoming season of “Reservation Dogs” brought thousands of Indigenous people to audition at the Park Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Saturday. The production hasn’t had an open casting call since the first season, where it found several Indigenous talents who had no previous acting experience prior to Reservation Dogs. Distance didn’t deter many as people traveled from all over Indian Country to audition for a role. Vehicle license plates were from many Tribes in Oklahoma, but also out of state such as Minnesota, North Dakota, Texas, and New Mexico. Entire families reported that they made an event out of the opportunity to audition. 

Data infrastructure and tribal sovereignty could help break down barriers for Native Americans to build wealth. For centuries, Indigenous communities in the United States have faced devastating poverty. American Indians and Alaska Natives today experience the highest rate of poverty, at 25 percent, of any major racial or ethnic group in the United States. The current economic hardships faced by AIAN communities can be traced back to centuries of colonization and discriminatory policies, such as the Homestead Act of 1862, which took land and resources away from Indigenous tribes. Data on the economic state of American Indians and Alaska Natives across the country is limited, however, making it difficult for researchers and policymakers alike to assess the needs of individual tribes and communities. Additionally, while those living on and off reservation lands may experience similar socioeconomic disparities, they differ when it comes to the barriers they face to building wealth.

Those are your headlines at this hour. I’m Colette Keith in the KIPI News center.

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