Ep 93: Indigenous Disabled Creators

Today’s episode features an interview with Johnnie Jae who is from the Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw tribes of Oklahoma. Johnnie is a journalist, organizer, creator, and futurist and the founder of A Tribe Called Geek, an award-winning media platform for Indigenous Geek Culture and STEM, and #Indigenerds4Hope, a suicide prevention initiative designed to educate, encourage, and empower Native youth. Johnnie will talk about her experiences accessing healthcare and staying safe as an immunocompromised person, the pandemic’s impact on disabled Indigenous, the systemic inequalities facing Indigenous communities, and the movement to remove racist imagery and terms in popular culture.

Please note there will be discussions about hospitalization, genocide, settler colonialism, medical racism, racist mascots.

I am the great granddaughter of the late Johnnie & Minnie Moore and Nelson & Emaline Morris.

I was born and raised in Oklahoma, spent about 10 years living in Taos, New Mexico and now reside in Hollywood, California.

— Johnnie Jae aka The Brown Ball of Fury (@johnniejae) November 1, 2019

Great thread! Please support Disabled Indigenous people, there are links in thos thread. https://t.co/W2QKuQ4nUS

— Kimbrah Gonzalez (@RainbowYeticorn) December 26, 2020

[Google doc]     [PDF]

“Natives in comics: ‘Born an Indiginerd,'” Patty Talahongva, September 18, 2020, Indian Country Today.

“Cleveland Baseball Team Will Drop Controversial Name To ‘Unify Our Community,'” Jaclyn Diaz, December 14, 2020, NPR.

Tribal health officials say more than 60 communities on the reservation reported new cases Friday. https://t.co/AvOSVilL8w

— Indian Country Today (@IndianCountry) December 19, 2020

Pregnant Native American women were singled out for COVID-19 testing based on their race and ZIP code, clinicians say. While awaiting results, some mothers were separated from their newborns, depriving them of the immediate contact doctors recommend. https://t.co/rsQOqZ9GfX

— ProPublica (@propublica) December 27, 2020

“I knew if I could get Fresno High School to remove the mascot, that the logic of it would kick in, you don’t vote to remove a mascot that’s Native from one school in the district without saying, ‘We can’t just remove one.” – Jamie Nelson (Yokuts)https://t.co/84xoVAEfNI

— IllumiNative (@_IllumiNatives) December 26, 2020

I always seem like a wet blanket because I do not stan or put folks on a pedestal. I am critical and very idealistic when it comes to Native representation because I am not just thirsty for representation….i am thirsty and starving for GREAT representation and accountability.

— Johnnie Jae aka The Brown Ball of Fury (@johnniejae) December 18, 2020

My latest for the @AP: For many Native American tribes, losing elders to the coronavirus means losing irreplaceable pieces of culture. So tribes are fighting to protect their must vulnerable members. https://t.co/Lzunxsljr8

— Christine Fernando (@christinetfern) December 28, 2020

Johnnie Jae is an Otoe-Missouria and Choctaw rabble-rousing journalist, organizer, creator, and futurist who loves empowering others to chase their passions and create for healing and revolutionary change in the world. She is the founder of A Tribe Called Geek, an award-winning media platform for Indigenous Geek Culture and STEM, and #Indigenerds4Hope, a suicide prevention initiative designed to educate, encourage, and empower Native youth. Jae is a co-founder of Not Your Mascots and LiveIndigenousOK. She is a member of the Women Warriors Work Collective and served as a co-chair for the 2017 March for Racial Justice. She was the host of the Indigenous Flame and A Tribe Called Geek podcasts and worked as a producer for several other podcasts on the Success Native Style Radio Network.

While primarily recognized for her work with A Tribe Called Geek, Jae also facilitates several workshops that address Mental Health and Suicide in Indian Country, Native Mascots & Stereotypes, Indigenous Representation & Journalism, Indigenous STEM & Tech, and the Utilization of Social & Digital media for Business and Activism. Her ability to seamlessly shift from humor and pop culture to advocacy and business has made her a much-sought after speaker, panelist, and commentator.

Website: https://johnniejae.com/

Twitter: @JohnnieJae

Instagram: @JohnnieJae

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialjohnniejae

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Alice Wong, Writer, Audio Producer, Host

Cheryl Green, Text Transcript

Lateef McLeod, Introduction

Mike Mort, Artwork

Song: “Dance Off”

Song: “Hard Out Here for A Gimp”

Album: NO BIG DEAL

Artist: Wheelchair Sports Camp

“acoustic guitar with non_standard tuning phrase” by timcan, May 28, 2010.  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“acoustic guitar” by alpersez, January 27, 2008.  This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“VOCODER countdown” by Jack_Master. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.

“8 Bit Beeping Computer Sounds” by sheepfilms. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons 0 License.