This week, New Mexico in Focus looks back at some of the favorite stories from Indigenously Positive, NMIF’s collaborative series with nonprofit newsroom New Mexico in Depth.
In a conversation from February, Indigenous Affairs Reporter Bella Davis and Director Benjamin Yazza sit down with Executive Producer Jeff Proctor to discuss the process and thinking behind the Indigenously Positive series.
Over a dozen states, including New Mexico, recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day on the second Monday of October, as an alternative to Columbus Day. Bella talks with folks celebrating in Albuquerque about what the day means to them, and why a proclamation from President Trump that makes no mention of Indigenous people doesn’t hold much weight. She also reflects on some of the joyful stories from Native communities NMIF has told throughout the year.
Saad K'idilyé is a Diné (Navajo) language nest in Albuquerque where children are fully immersed in the language. Bella speaks with Warlance Chee (Diné), the program's director, and two educators at the facility about their work and the importance of Indigenous language revitalization.
Bella visits Shiprock and speaks with two organizations and a Navajo entrepreneur about the importance of Native-owned businesses on the reservation.
The Indigenous Farm Hub sits in a small patch of land north of Albuquerque, where red onions, carrots, blue corn and more are rising from the ground. Bella stops by the hub to highlight the deeply rooted significance of food sovereignty.
Correspondent Antonia Gonzales takes viewers north to the Alaska Federation of Natives' Convention, where Indigenous artisans connect over jewelry and fashion.
NMiF airs on NMPBS 5.1 (KNME HD) on Friday, Nov. 28, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 30 at 7 a.m. and streaming on the PBS video app. Involved, informed, in-depth media: watch New Mexico in Focus again online shortly thereafter.
Host
Benjamin Yazza (Diné)
NMiF Segments
Reflecting on Native Joy
Correspondent
Jeff Proctor
Guests
Bella Davis (Yurok)
Benjamin Yazza (Diné)
Why Indigenous Peoples’ Day Is Every Day
Producer/Host
Bella Davis (Yurok)
Producer/Director
Benjamin Yazza (Diné)
Guests
Benjamin Shendo (Jemez and Cochiti Pueblos)
Ryan Gonzales (Jemez and San Ildefonso Pueblos)
Naleen Naanee (Laguna Pueblo)
Shannon Trujillo (Navajo/Washoe)
State Rep. Derrick Lente, D-Sandia Pueblo
Planting of the Navajo Language Seed
Correspondent
Bella Davis (Yurok)
Director
Benjamin Yazza (Diné)
Editor
Joey Dunn (Diné)
Guests
Warlance Chee (Diné)
Tiffany Lee, Ph.D. (Diné / Lakota)
Melvatha Chee, Ph.D. (Diné)
Native Entrepreneurs are Changing Rez Life
Producers
Bella Davis (Yurok) & Benjamin Yazza (Diné)
Photojournalist
Joey Dunn (Diné)
Guests
Roddell Denetso (Navajo), Black Streak Apparel owner
Heather Fleming (Diné), Change Labs co-founder & executive director
Jessica Stago (Diné / Apache), Change Labs co-founder
Racquel Black (Diné), Entrepreneurship Hub manager
How Indigenous Food Sovereignty Actually Works?
Host/Producer
Bella Davis (Yurok)
Director/Producer
Benjamin Yazza (Diné)
Camera
Joey Dunn (Diné) & RJ Torres
Guests
Kara Bobroff (Navajo/Lakota), co-founder & executive director
Maximo Lopez, farm director
Kevin Mahkee (Zuni Pueblo)
Mali Nichols
Alan Brauer, co-founder & senior director
Maya Kwon (Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate), Native American Community Academy Liaison
Orenda Martine (Navajo & Laguna/Zuni/Santo Domingo Pueblos), Native American Community Academy Alum
Jewelry and Fashion Connect Native Artists at Alaskan Convention
Producer
Antonia Gonzales (Navajo)
Photographer/Editor
Aaron Weaver
Guests
Jackie Qataliña Schaeffer, Iñupiaq artist and fashion designer
Trina Landlord, Yup’ik, Far North Fashion Show coordinator
Mary Kelsay, owner of MEKA, Unangax̂ fashion designer
Jeremiah James, Tlingit fashion designer
Merna Lomack Wharton, Yup’ik fashion designer
New Mexico in Focus is the New Mexico PBS prime-time news magazine show covering the events, issues, and people shaping life in New Mexico and the Southwest. NMiF takes a multi-layered look at social, political, economic health, education, and art issues and explores them in-depth with a critical eye to give them context beyond the "news of the moment."
NMPBS Executive Producer, Public Affairs is Jeff Proctor. New Mexico in Focus's senior producer for public affairs is Lou DiVizio. Host and producer of New Mexico in Focus is Nash Jones. Producer is Antonio Sanchez. Multimedia journalist is Cailley Chella.
Funding for New Mexico in Focus is provided by the McCune Charitable Foundation and Viewers Like You. Funding for the Your New Mexico Government Project comes from the Thornburg Foundation and New Mexico Local News Fund. Funding for Our Land: New Mexico’s Environmental Past, Present & Future is provided in part by the Neeper Natural History Programming.
