NGC’s strategies for challenging prejudice and racism are unique. In 2022, Native Governance Center created a new short video series, Wings with Wayne, that bridges the gap between outdated learnings and real Indigenous narratives. The show is a spoof on the popular YouTube series Hot Ones. In each episode, NGC’s executive director Wayne Ducheneaux II visits with an Indigenous changemaker to explore what sovereignty means to them. And, true to the show's title, they also enjoy some very hot wings.
Native Governance Center also hosts several free events each year that are thought-provoking and educational. The organization sees the value of having hard conversations, prioritizing topics that will engage a variety of viewpoints. Previous event topics include blood quantum, Indigenous representation, and appropriate terminology. NGC’s event panels feature Native leaders from a variety of sectors, demonstrating that Native people are still here and thriving.
NGC’s online resource library, featuring beginner-friendly videos and publications focused on taking action, reached more than 59,000 people in 2022. The library includes popular guides to land acknowledgment and beyond land acknowledgment, which have been cited and used by thousands of individuals around the world. NGC’s land acknowledgment work has been featured by USA Today, CNN, the Star Tribune, and Stuff You Should Know (podcast), among other media outlets.
NGC’s resources inspired the following projects in 2022 and 2023, among others:
- NGC’s beyond land acknowledgment resources inspired the creation of a new honor tax program benefitting and created in partnership with a Native nation. Called the Mni Sota Makoce Honor Tax, the program directs voluntary rent payments to the Lower Sioux Indian Community. Rent and mortgage payments give us access to living space; voluntary land taxes recognize our access to stolen Indigenous land.
- Native Governance Center’s community engagement content encouraged a local congregation to create a customized six-week land acknowledgement journey for their members. The journey includes 12 hours of video and written content. The ultimate goal is to engage their congregation in creating a land acknowledgment statement that is non-performative and goes beyond simply checking a box.
- NGC’s narrative change initiatives led to contact by a summer camp that recently used the names of Native nations to label their cabins. After conversations with NGC staff around harmful narratives, camp representatives underwent a process to research and understand the harm they were causing Native people, and engaged with local nations to identify respectful ways their camp could teach about, and uplift, Native people.
- Author Ko Kim wrote a children’s book on healing from microaggressions, crediting NGC for the guidance she received from the organization’s style guide on decolonizing language.
Native Governance Center is committed to advancing pluralism and inclusivity by creating programming that embodies its value of “be a good relative.” NGC believes that all of us have a role to play in helping Native nations thrive. When Native nations succeed, surrounding communities succeed, too.