IllumiNative has awarded thirteen $30,000 grants to Native community organizations and organizers across Indian Country to overcome COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
Tulsa, Oklahoma (October 27, 2021) — Today, IllumiNative announced the launch of the second phase of For The Love of Our People – a national campaign aiming to overcome COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy across Native communities experiencing high rates of cases. In partnership with Urban Indian Health Institute, phase one began with the development of key messaging, videos from trusted messengers, social media and web resources from trusted Indian health experts. Phase two of the campaign is centered around disseminating these resources and empowering Native influencers and organizations to reach a wider unvaccinated audience across Indian Country.
Leveraging a $900,000 grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, IllumiNative identified hotspot areas across Native communities and selected thirteen Native organizations and organizers working to support their vaccinations efforts. These thirteen Native organizations were each awarded $30,000 grants to support and expand their grassroots vaccination initiatives and activations.
As of mid-October, all 12 of the Indian Health Services providers have experienced a growing surge in COVID-19 cases. According to the CDC, Native people face the highest rates of infection, hospitalization, and death due to COVID-19. These rates likely underestimate the true impact of the pandemic on these communities as they experience deficient data collection and incorrect death certificate classification.
The growing rate of COVID-19 cases across Native communities, coupled with increasing levels of fatigue related to COVID-19 content on social media platforms, prompted IllumiNative to look for new ways to provide communities with COVID-19 information. Along with the challenges in convincing Native youth to get vaccinated, For The Love of Our People seeks to move beyond the traditional methods of distributing content by meeting communities where they are and partnering with trusted Tribes and local organizations to promote vaccinations through different and exciting ways.
IllumiNative awarded 12 Native organizations and one Tribal Community a $30,000 grant to help amplify their on-the-ground outreach in hotspots within Native communities in Oklahoma, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, New Mexico, California, Arizona, Minnesota, Alaska, and Oregon. The organizers will be using their grant dollars to raise awareness about the importance of getting vaccinated in a unique way that resonates with their own communities.
“We are so excited to announce the second phase of For The Love of Our People, it has been several months in the making,” said Crystal Echo Hawk, founder and Executive Director of IllumiNative. “Combating COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is a complex and difficult task but through our research and focus studies, we found that community engagement and asset-driven messaging is what is going to move the needle. We’re highlighting the strength and resiliency of Native communities while calling upon each other to get vaccinated; for our families, our culture, our people — in unique and exciting ways.”
The funds will support key initiatives and events and allow the organizations to market, incentivize, and promote vaccinations within their community; they are allocated to the following:
- Protect the Sacred
- Pawnee Nation
- Indian Health Care Resource Center of Tulsa
- American Indian Child Resource Center
- Native Peoples Action
- Native American Community Development Institute
- Sacred Pipe Resource Center
- Wotakuye Mutual Aid Society
- Fort Belknap Tribe
- Indian Family Health Clinic
- The Stronghold Cultural Response
- Notah Begay Foundation
- Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center
“We look forward to the opportunity to help spread meaningful messaging about vaccine safety and efficacy. COVID-19 has hit Native communities across New Mexico particularly hard,” said Cyanne Lujan, Director of Advancement for NB3 Foundation. “This grant will allow us to make our first big push to promote vaccinations, and encourage eligible Native youth and families by sharing informative messaging that resonates with the communities we serve.”
“We have the opportunity to leverage an exciting time at a Native-specific Golden State Warriors game and take Native youth who do not have many opportunities to attend professional sports games,” said Mary Trimble Norris, Executive Director of American Indian Child Resource Center. “This is not only an opportunity to get our students vaccinated, but giving them a chance to have fun, safely, during an unprecedented challenging time in their lives.”
“Quyana, Mahsì, Gunalchèesh, Qagaasakung, Taikuu for this opportunity to continue providing our Alaska Native people with accurate vaccine information in our Alaska Native languages,” said Kendra Kloster, Executive Director for Native Peoples Action Community Fund. “With this grant, Native Peoples Action Community Fund will be able to elevate and distribute language materials, art, radio ads and video messages created by our Alaska Native language panels. Together we can help protect our people and ways of life.”
“COVID-19 has and continues to have a detrimental effect on the Pawnee community; we have suffered economic loss, mental health issues, and even death,” said Deidre Yerbic, COVID Division Director for Pawnee Nation. “We continue to face barriers from our tribal members in a multitude of areas regarding vaccination. Misinformation and basic distrust of the federal government coincide with one tribal member’s statement, ‘I refuse to be a guinea pig.’ This is all the more reason why our work in the community is so important.”
For more information on the For The Love of Our People campaign, please visit https://forourpeople.uihi.org
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ABOUT ILLUMINATIVE
IllumiNative is a national, Native woman-led nonprofit dedicated to increasing the visibility of Native peoples and we are committed to challenging and changing the narrative about Native peoples. We envision a future where the self-determination and sovereignty of Native peoples is respected, where our children see themselves reflected in the world around them, and where Native peoples author and drive our own narrative.