Milwaukee Film acknowledges that we are on traditional Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, and Menominee homeland along the southwest shores of Michigami, North America’s largest system of freshwater lakes, where the Milwaukee, Menominee, and Kinnickinnic rivers meet and the people of Wisconsin’s sovereign Anishinaabe, Ho-Chunk, Menominee, Oneida, and Mohican nations remain present.
Land acknowledgements often fail to address the ongoing effects of colonization. Based on Eco-Trust’s Call to Action for Indigenous Communities (ecotrust.org), we want to offer some suggestions for actions one can take in allyship with, and support of, Indigenous communities.
- Seek out films made by Indigenous filmmakers (e.g. the Sundance Institute Indigenous Film Tour).
- Invest in tribal economies.
- Challenge and reject stereotypes about Indigenous people.
- Elect officials and judges that understand tribal governments, relationships, and laws.
- Insist that your children and grandchildren are taught accurate information about the histories, cultures, and contemporary lives of Indigenous peoples in our school systems.
- Protect the environment and salmon that tribal cultures depend on.
- Inform yourself about issues impacting Indigenous communities and speak up.
