Virtual Journalist Visit Opportunities for Native American Heritage Month 2024

In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, we are featuring several journalists who have reported on relevant topics, and who would love to visit your classroom! Take a look at our featured guest speakers below, and click here to connect your class with a guest speaker. This opportunity is open to classroom and afterschool educators, as well as educators working with students in carceral facilities.

Journalist Guest Speakers for Native American Heritage Month

Journalists can share stories about Native American communities, and discuss issues affecting Native people.

• Richard Tsong-Taatarii, a documentary photographer based in Minnesota, reported on how 170,000 or so residents across the Navajo nation are struggling with the worst ongoing drought in a century. Many are accustomed to using just a fraction of the water other Americans consume. Thousands of Navajos have no clean running water at home, a crisis magnified by drought and government neglect.

• Jenny Staletovich, a journalist working in Florida for 30 years, reported on the compromises that have threatened the viability of Everglades restoration in South Florida through the eyes of the people who have seen it firsthand, the Miccosukee Tribe.

• Justin Maxon, a photographer, writer, and filmmaker, who grew up part-time on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation, reported on how teens and their families struggle with drug addiction on the Hoopa Valley Indian Reservation.

• Brandi Morin, an award-winning Cree/Iroquois/French journalist who reported on the abuse, displacement, deaths, and intergenerational trauma of Native American children.

• Michael Downey, a documentary filmmaker from Alaska, based in Istanbul, Turkey, reported on how remote villages in western Alaska are locked in a desperate battle to protect their land against the ravages of climate change, as rising sea levels erode their land, forcing some villages to evacuate.

• Arlyssa Becenti, a Diné journalist with more than a decade of experience reporting on Navajo Nation, who is covering the importance of the Native vote, and Arizona's efforts to disenfranchise Indigenous people.

• Gabriel Allen, an M.A. student in the journalism program at the University of Colorado Boulder, reported on how each year, the Iñupiat community in Utqiagvik, Alaska, gathers for Nalukataq, an annual whaling festival. Allen spoke with local leaders and scientists about the work that is done to keep whaling practices, and thereby Nalukataq, alive. Over the last half-century, Indigenous whalers and scientists have worked together to study local wildlife, map Arctic ice, and mitigate the effects of climate change.

• Brian Adams, an Iñupiaq photographer who documented the return and burial of Anastasia, a girl who was taken from her Alutiiq home to an Indian residential school where she died. Adams's images tell a story of mourning, healing, and strength.
• Alice Qannik Glenn and Jenna Kunze, Alaska-based reporters whose audio stories cover how Alaska Natives are adapting to changes in the environment brought about by climate change. Jenna also reported on rise of indigenous doulas.
• Daniella Zalcman, a photojournalist and co-founder of Indigenous Photograph, who reported on the lasting impacts of government-mandated residential schools for Native Americans in the United States and First Nations children in Canada.
• Nate Hegyi, a journalist who has reported on negligence and misconduct in tribal jails, as well as the broader challenges Native American communities experience.
• Gina Castro, a journalist covering Hurricane Ida recovery efforts and disparities affecting Louisiana's Native American tribes.
• Mary F. Calvert, an award-winning photojournalist who reported on the legacy of U.S government mines on Navajo Nation and their devastating health impacts.

NOTE: Due to availability, we cannot always guarantee a specific journalist, but we will work with you to suggest several options based on your goals and meeting times.

About the Virtual Journalist Visit Program

The Pulitzer Center offers free virtual journalist visits to K-12 schools worldwide. We have worked with more than a thousand journalists over the years, covering diverse topics and geographic regions, and we will match you with a journalist based on your request. We use many different platforms to connect, including Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams, and will work with you to identify the best technology for your learners. Virtual journalist visits are a great way to help students:

• Understand how what they're studying affects people's lives
• Learn how research, writing, critical thinking, multimedia, and more skills are used in journalism
• Practice preparing and asking questions of an expert
• Get excited about using the news to learn about the world
• And much more!

                     Schedule your virtual visit!