What is Fusion, you ask? Well, let me fill you in!
Fusion is a new, 24-hour (multi-platform) news channel aimed at English-speaking Hispanic and Latino Americans and millennials. Fusion’s mission is to champion a smart, diverse and inclusive America.
I recently (last week) became the East Coast-based National Affairs Correspondent and am responsible for telling the stories of people, events and issues which are shaping America, today and tomorrow. In fact, my first piece on Native fashion at New York Fashion Week went live on the web last week.
I joined Fusion to do exactly what the job description said: Make sense of the news by producing reported stories, opinion columns, and curated posts which provide insight and context to notions of leadership, justice & equality, culture, modern life, and the American Dream as present in stories about politics, social mobility, race, identity and multiculturalism.
From technology, food, media, pop culture and celebrity to immigration and entrepreneurship, I cover what matters to Latinos and millennials. And, once we launch our TV programming (October 28th), I will provide live, on-air commentaries, sometimes at a moment’s notice.
Lonnnnnng time no post! But, I’m back(!) and excited to announce that I have moved down to South Florida to work as the Host and Multimedia Journalist for The Seminole Channel (which is owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida). It was difficult to say goodbye to New York City, but the rest of Indian Country was calling. (Not to worry, though…NYC has not seen the last of me!)
For those who are interested or have asked where they can watch The Seminole Channel, it currently airs on Directv and is only viewable by Seminole Tribal members living on one of the six STOF reservations. But, there are plans to expand our audience and eventually share content with other Indigenous news networks soon. I will be sure you let you know when and where you can view our content as our reach continues to grow.
We tape the show in front of a green screen because the set is virtual. I hosted this show solo while my co-host was reporting in another state.Just a little self-promotion 🙂
I moved to South Florida to work for Seminole Media Productions because I care about Indigenous people and telling Indigenous stories, and I am very excited to be a part of an incredible operation with passionate and dedicated media professionals. I am excited about collaborating in an effort to make SMP an even more successful operation than it already is…The possibilities of what we can and will achieve are endless!
In the spirit of Mother’s Day (this Sunday), here’s one for you, Mom!
My Mom is full of great advice. She seems to always know just what to say at just the right time to make me feel better about any challenge that I may be facing.
One of her best words of wisdom, though, is her daily morning catchphrase: “BE a great day!”
My Mom truly believes that we make our own destiny based on the choices we make on a daily basis. She knows that we each have the power to have a good day or a bad one based on how we frame things and react to adversity. I really love that about her.
Today, I had an inspirational thought of my own that I wanted to share with you in hopes that it might brighten your day and lift your spirits, if you need it:
Sometimes you have to tell yourself, “I can do this!…I can do this!…I WILL do this!” until you’re convinced…and it gets done. Our inner voice can be our own worst enemy or our own best friend. We have to make the choice!
It can be easy to take a back seat in our own lives and coast along miserably, just barely getting by emotionally. It’s a lot harder to take the reins and go after your dreams. I truly believe we each have the power to attain whatever we want if we believe in ourselves. You have to believe, from the deepest part of your being, that you deserve great things and that you are capable of making them happen. Great achievements come with great risk. Great risk comes with confidence. Confidence comes with action. So, get up, get out, and make your dreams a reality! You can do it!
(I believe in you, so you should, too!)
Happy Mother’s Day to all of the Moms out there! May you be your child/children’s greatest hero like my Mom is for me.
-NativeJournalist
ps: Thank you, everyone, for the “Happy Birthday” love I received yesterday! It feels great to be 28 and I’m excited for all that this year will bring!
Below is a video about our “pitch day” – when I won a seed grant to fund the project!
The mission of the site is to provide creative, culturally relevant content to Native youth, highlighting the growing international Indigenous artistic movement. (So, instead of focusing on sad, depressing news – you know, those stereotypical stories EVERYONE has heard over and over again – we’ll focus on the inspiring, uplifting stuff.) And, I’m lucky to have an amazing team of Native content producers on board to help me get this project off the ground!
Those are just some of our ideas…We want your ideas, too!
The purpose of the site is to expand the platform Native artists currently have and be the “go to” place for creative Native content from all corners of Turtle Island! We’re taking a for us/by us approach to reporting on the Native art world.
With that said, we’re still looking for writers, content producers, and advertisers. If you want to share your take on the latest Native fashion trend or artistic movement in your community, send your thoughts to us at editor@nativeremix.com. We welcome content submissions from any and all Native writers, bloggers, journalists, artists, and fans alike! This is your opportunity to add your voice to the conversation and have people take note.
If you have a product or business (say, an Etsy store or t-shirt company) that you would like to advertise to Native youth (age 14-34) and the young at heart!, consider being one of our founding advertisers and e-mail editor@nativeremix.com for more information about incentives and our ad rates.
Please sign up for updates on the site and our scheduled launch date, by signing up at NativeRemix.com! (You will be rewarded with a free A Tribe Called Red album download for doing so.)
…Please help us out and spread the word – Our success depends on you!
You can follow NativeRemix.com on Twitter (@TheNativeRemix) and “like” us on Facebook (FB/NativeRemix)! Your support is much appreciated!!!
And, again: If you, or someone you know, would like to contribute to the site or be featured by one of our writers/content producers, please be in touch! E-mail editor@nativeremix.com to submit comments/questions/suggestions, story ideas, etc.
So, how can you win $200? It’s easy! – Just enter my contest at 99designs.com and create a winning logo for the NativeRemix brand! If you’re not a designer, you could encourage a friend who is a designer to enter and split the winnings however you see fit!
I would LOVE for a Native designer to win, so please tell all of your friends to take a shot!
Have a great weekend…and good luck to anyone who enters!
I just wanted to take a minute and embarrass, I mean, wish my Mom a Happy Birthday!
I know I sometimes take you for granted (I’m sorry), but please know that you really are the best Mom I could have ever asked for!
You are fun, intelligent, strong, creative, thoughtful, humble, set a great example for Monica and me, and best of all, have an awesome sense of humor. I feel incredible lucky to have you in my corner, supporting me (whether by phone, e-mails or during visits) and cheering me on along this journey called life.
Thank you for all that you are and all that you do.
Check out the piece I did for CUNY-TV’s newsmagazine show “219 West” that aired recently…
Bow ties, tailored suits, and button-downs are not usually associated with women’s fashion. But founders of Brooklyn-based fashion brand, Marimacho, have created a line of clothing for masculine-identified women who prefer a more dandy approach to dress. Amy Stretten has this fashion forward story. [Fast forward to 10:27 for my piece]
I can’t wait to attend this year’s ImagineNative film and media arts festival in Toronto next week (October 19-23)! It’s my first time going and I’m really looking forward to what’s in store. 🙂 I really miss Canada and my Aboriginal peeps up there!
NativeJournalist.com 