$2.5M grant to help Longmont-based First Nations raise profile of Native Americans

LONGMONT — First Nations Development Institute and Echo Hawk Consulting are teaming up to lead a national project that their leaders say will bring Native Americans out of the shadows of public consciousness.

Both based in Longmont, First Nations is a nonprofit led by Michael E. Roberts, and Echo Hawk Consulting is led by Crystal Echo Hawk.

The two-year research and strategy-setting project called Reclaiming Native Truth: A Project to Dispel America’s Myths and Misconceptions will be funded by a $2.5 million grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.

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“Native Americans and their communities are blocked from reaching their full potential by harmful stereotypes, misperceptions and lack of awareness” said Roberts, president and CEO of First Nations. “This cultural indifference and injustice pervades our entire country, from the media and entertainment industry to thought leaders and pop culture overall.”

Echo Hawk, president and CEO of Echo Hawk Consulting, said the goals of the project are to understand the extent of society’s negative and inaccurate perceptions of Native Americans and to find the best means of overcoming them. “Only then will we have the knowledge we need to design a broad campaign to solve this problem,” she said.

A 20-person advisory committee comprised of Native leaders, influential stakeholders and racial-equity experts will offer oversight, expertise and leadership to guide the project.

At the conclusion of the project, a national campaign will be developed to improve awareness of and respect and equality for Native Americans. The campaign will seek to secure greater inclusion of Native Americans in government decision-making; address disparities in grant-making to Native Americans; improve the accuracy of Native Americans’ portrayal in the media and entertainment; ensure the inclusion of accurate Native American history in educational curricula; and implement other solutions to the predominant bias.