Representation matters. When we witness narratives and individuals who mirror our own experiences, it profoundly shapes our understanding of what can be achieved and the orientation of our vision. The exclusion and lack of Indigenous representation throughout media and pop culture is indicative of the ongoing erasure we face by mainstream society. It reflects a continuation of systemic oppression and disregard for our ancestors and communities. 

However, Indian Country and its resiliency are fighting back. Across various mediums, from film and photography to literature, Indigenous creators are claiming their space and creating works like never before. We are amidst an Indigenous renaissance. 

Native Americans in Philanthropy was honored to spotlight some of these advocates in our March Member Education Session. Moderated by Stephine “Steph” Poston, along with members of our Native Youth Grantmaker program, we welcomed Kristin Gentry (Choctaw) from IndigiPopX and Vogue’s Christian Allaire (Ojibwe). Together, they engaged in a conversation about Indian Country’s growing presence and power throughout media and pop culture.

Watch the broadcast now on NAP’s YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe to the NAP YouTube channel for more informative and important resources on Native communities.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS: 

KRISTIN GENTRY (Chocktaw) (she/they)

IndigiPopX Director, Native Realities, LLC

Kristin Gentry (@kreativenative) is a multidisciplinary artist working in the Indigenous pop culture industry of art, fashion, and 2SLGBTQIA advocacy. They are the director of community engagement and outreach for Native Realities, LLC, and are the director for IndigiPopX, the original Indigenous pop culture convention.

MICHAEL JOHNSON (Three Affiliated Tribes of ND) (he/him)

President, IllumiNative

Michael Johnson is a citizen of the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota. Born and raised in Denver, Colorado, Michael graduated with distinction from the University of Colorado Denver majoring in Political Science. Over the last 15 years, he has worked to grow and strengthen the educational, health, economic, land conservation, policy, litigation, impact-investing and lending, organizing, and power-building nonprofit sectors serving Indian Country to create lasting relationships built on respect, reciprocity, impact, and success with communities and allies alike. 

An active member of the Just Economy Institute, an integrated capital thinker, and current Treasurer at The Kindle Project, Michael has advocated for Native people on local, national, and international platforms, while also representing Tribal communities and working to educate and help philanthropists and investors find value-aligned projects throughout Indian Country. A champion of Tribal self-determination, trust-based philanthropy, and colonial systems disruption, Michael has supported Native-led nonprofits in significantly increasing partnerships and revenues, with more than $210M in grants and $15M of investments secured to date.

CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE (Ojibwe) (he/him)

Senior Fashion and Style Writer, Vogue

Christian Allaire is currently the Senior Fashion and Style Writer at Vogue in New York City. He is First Nations (Ojibwe) and grew up on the Nipissing First Nation reserve in Ontario, Canada. After earning his Bachelor of Journalism degree from Ryerson University in 2014, he moved to New York to begin his career as a fashion editor at Footwear News, a role he held for three years. He has also freelanced for Vogue, Elle, Mr. Porter, Hazlitt, Refinery 29 & more.

MODERATOR: STEPHINE "STEPH" POSTON, M.A. (Pueblo of Sandia) (she/her)

President & CEO, Poston & Associates, LLC

“Steph” was born and raised on the Sandia Pueblo Indian Reservation. She worked for her Tribe for eleven years before launching Poston & Associates, a full-service communications firm.

Steph’s expertise includes strategic facilitation, capacity-building training, leadership development, strategic communication, and event planning. She has worked with numerous Tribes and Tribal entities in New Mexico and throughout Indian Country on public relations and marketing campaigns, sacred site protection, voter empowerment, water rights, Tribal policy development, economic development, education, and healthcare. 

She is a co-founder of Native Women Lead and recent past Chairwoman of the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts which hosts Indian Market.