Honoring Native Voices

By Samantha Maurice-Africa

Native American Heritage Month (NAHM) celebrates the contributions, rich heritage and traditions of the diverse Native American and Alaska Native communities to U.S. history and culture.

Throughout November and beyond, Disney honors the diversity of Native American and Indigenous employees, talent and creators.

“I am looking forward to sharing our Native and Indigenous cultures, both the customs and beliefs we share, and the specificity of each tribal community,” shared Dawn Jackson, manager of brand management and leader of Disney’s Native American Business Employee Resource Group (BERG). Dawn is an enrolled member of Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan.

There are numerous ways you can celebrate with us:

• To celebrate the legacy of the series “Reservation Dogs,” Hulu is partnering with Indigenous artist Blake Angeconeb to create a custom art piece memorializing the show in an Anishinaabe woodlands art style. The art will launch at the start of Native American Heritage Month across various mediums including Hulu’s Instagram page, tear-away wild postings throughout Los Angeles and Seattle, and a mural at the Oklahoma City First Americans Museum.

• ABC will premiere “Our America: Rebirth of the Range,” a story taking a close look at Indigenous American movements that aim to recover territory and reclaim sovereignty through ancestral land management.

• ABC News will air “Nightline,” a segment on the true story behind the new film, “Killers of the Flower Moon.” There will be a segment on the true story of the Native people of “Oppenheimer” with Maria Elena Salinas.

• ABC News Live will air a story on “Investigating the Legacy and Future of Uranium Contamination on Navajo Lands.”

We are all greater than a single story and we all deserve to feel seen, heard and understood, not only during heritage months, but year-round.

Disney works together with the American Indian College Fund (AICF) to make a meaningful impact on American Indian and Alaska Native students pursuing higher education through The Walt Disney Company American Indian College Fund Scholarship Program. The program provides Native American and Alaska Native students who have financial need with multi-year support to attend tribal colleges and universities nationwide. Disney funds 13 scholarships annually. In addition to providing scholarship support, Disney aims to provide AICF scholars with unique Disney experiences and access to career development opportunities. This spring, Disney hosted AICF students for an immersive site visit at Walt Disney World Resort and the company plans to host another group of AICF scholars at the resort again in early 2024.

Our support of AICF is part of Disney Future Storytellers, the Company's commitment to empowering the next generation of storytellers and innovators.

More surprises from your favorite Disney brands will be shared throughout the month. Be sure to follow @ReimagineTomorrow on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to share ways you plan to celebrate the month.