Report on Native American Convening at NCMR
A report has been published on the first ever Native American Convening
held in conjunction with the National Conference for Media Reform.
Representatives from nine Native American media and telecommunications
organizations gathered in Memphis, Tennessee to:
- engage each other, build deeper organizational relationships and discuss ways of working together more effectively;
- begin identifying priority issues for Indian Country and building support for these priorities both inside and outside Indian Country; and,
- strategize collectively regarding building and/or strengthening relationships with organizations and individuals within the larger field, particularly among those involved in media reform.
The Convening was made possible through a travel grant from the Ford Foundation Electronic Media Policy portfolio, and held in conjunction with the National Conference for Media Reform.
Throughout the course of the day-long convening, participants presented their understanding, concerns and perspectives on their work in the field of Native American media and telecommunications and collectively strategized on ways to build and sustain the field. Participants were able to implement and add to this strategy by representing the Native voice in many of the key media discussions that occurred during the Conference.
In addition to an overview of the Conference agenda and the five core tracks of the Conference, general topics of discussion included:
- “Defining Native American and Alaska Native Media and Telecommunications Priorities”
- “Maximizing Our Presence and Making an Impact at the National Conference for Media Reform”
- “Building Networks – Strengthening Relationships with Media Organization Representatives”
Among the Native participants in the convening, only one had previously attended the Conference. Many of the participants commented on the size, scope and momentum of the media reform movement. All of the participants were in agreement that while there is much work to be done to ensure that Indian Country has a strong voice in the media reform movement, convening prior to the conference and presenting a strong Native presence at the Conference represented a powerful and positive step in advancing Native American issues and concerns.
