Megan Redshirt-Shaw is an enrolled member of Oglala Sioux Tribe. She is the founder and editor of Natives in America. Megan’s parents were both academic and so growing up she moved across the country. When looking at college, she chose to attend Penn because it was a campus where she had not lived with her parents.

In this episode, we discuss why 2015 is going to be the year of the Native. The power and relatively cheap cost of the Internet makes it easier than ever for Natives to get our voices out into the world. This medium also makes it easier for Natives to be proactive instead of reactive. It helps to react quickly, widely and easily to things that may occur in the media, but the power lies in being proactive and shaping the conversation.

We also discuss Megan’s “full time hobbies” including the recently launched website Natives in America. This is in addition to her work with Etki and Urban Native Era. Her website provides a venue for long-form writing for young Natives to express their voices.

The year of the Native and the projects Megan is associated with have something in common that we discuss. And that is: our action helps us break stereotypes and build positivity in our communities.

Do you like to write? Submit your piece to Natives in America. Listen to the episode to find out how!

----

Links

Megan Redshirt Shaw on Twitter

University of Pennsylvannia

All Ivy Native Council

Frank Waln

Tall Paul

Stanford Native House

Daily Writing Rituals

Huffington Post

Racialicious

Think Progress

Op-Ed Project

Questbridge

Santa Clara University

Etki

Urban Native Era

Natives in America

Our Kids Should be Allowed to Go Anywhere

Last Real Indians

Jose Antonio Vargas takes a trip to Rapid City, SD

If you say things of consequence, there may be consequences, the alternative is to be inconsequential.