Photographer Josu茅 Rivas on Indigenous Representation
This week and in recent years, a growing number of states and cities across the country celebrated Indigenous Peoples鈥 Day. It comes as an important corrective after decades of celebrating the 鈥渄iscovery鈥 of the Americas by Christopher Columbus each year. We know, of course, that no such discovery happened 鈥 what did happen was colonization, and centuries of subjugation, murder, disenfranchisement, and displacement of Native Americans. As we reflect on our history and on the stories that have been too often excluded, we consider the importance of not just what stories get told, but of who gets to tell them.
This week on At Liberty, we are joined by Josu茅 Rivas, who helped us think through these questions. Rivas is a visual storyteller, educator, creative director, and self-described 鈥淚ndigenous futurist.鈥 He descended from the Mexica Otomi peoples. He aims 鈥渢o challenge the mainstream narrative about Indigenous peoples鈥 and to 鈥渂e a visual messenger for those in the shadows of our society.鈥