Revisiting ‘Indigenously Positive’

One day last fall, I was lunching with my friend and former colleague, Bella Davis (Yurok), when she mentioned an idea that had been percolating for her: What about a series of interviews to spotlight Native hopes, dreams, joy and triumph? Bella had been reporting deeply on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives crisis — and other government failures for Native people — and she wanted to broaden her Indigenous affairs beat for the nonprofit newsroom New Mexico In Depth. 

Bella had no intention of giving up the vitally important work she’d been doing, but something with joy at the center felt like a necessary addition. 

I wondered if she might be interested in partnering with NMPBS for this interview series, and she liked the idea. We brought NMPBS Producer Benjamin Yazza (Diné) into the conversation and, not long after, “Indigenously Positive” was born. 

The series was a natural fit for many reasons. Bella worked for me when I was news editor at the Santa Fe Reporter, and we’ve remained close. Plus, I spent some of the best years of my reporting career working with Trip Jennings and Marjorie Childress at In Depth. And Benjamin was fresh off his highly successful run as producer of “Sovereign Innovations” and was eager for another project. 

In all, we produced eight episodes of “Indigenously Positive,” and each one was special in its own way. I’m humbled to have featured these pieces on New Mexico in Focus this year, and I’m grateful to Bella, Benjamin, NMPBS videographer Joey Dunn and everyone else who helped bring this series to life. 

For this week’s episode of NMiF, we revisit four “Indigenously Positive” stories, plus a conversation Benjamin, Bella and I had in the studio back in February about what we hoped the series could be — and what people were saying they’d like for it to be. 

A special thanks to Benjamin for hosting this look back at Indigenously Positive, too. We hope you enjoy it. 

-Jeff Proctor, Executive Producer