Tohono O’odham Student Elevates Indigenous Representation in Media
Hello! Could you please state your name, your tribal affiliation, and what your major is?
Hello! My name is Trinity Norris, I am Tohono O’odham and I am studying Studies of Global Media here at the University of Arizona.
How did you get your start in your program? What interested you in starting to pursue it as a career and academically?
I’ve been known to be a storyteller, so when I began school here at the University, I opted towards journalism and wanting to uplift Indigenous voices. I wanted to make sure that we are well represented in the media, as well as highlighting the cool things that us Native people are doing, instead of through the deficit lens that we often see in the media.
What is your process for researching and writing your stories/articles?
My process for researching and writing definitely differs (depending on each story.) I’ve dabbled in a little bit of everything from writing about the environment, feature stories, or hard news. A lot of the time, it comes down to talking and engaging with the community, as well being able to see their perspective on things. I’ll reach out and do my own research beforehand, to help me form my own questions and see if I reach further and get them (the interviewee) to talk more on why they’re doing what they’re doing.
I definitely have the ‘foundation’ approach of doing that pre-interview research, and trying to gauge where I can form my questions to get a well-developed story.
How does your work intersect with how you engage within your community? How much does your tribal community impact the work you do and in what ways?
My work impacts my community in different ways- I strive for community story-telling, and for any community that I’m in/visiting, it’s super important (for me) to be present. The communities definitely have a lot of insight and understanding to offer, so I do my best to tell my story well. I see a lot of my work as ‘I work with the community’ rather than ‘on the community, as I feel it’s more collaborative.
My tribal community has been so supportive of my work. When I reach out to people within the community for stories, it’s been so amazing to me to see how willing and trusting (of me) to do those stories. They are so impactful to me in the way I work and the way that I carry myself within the community to do those stories.
We acknowledge and stress the importance that Native voices deserve and need to be heard year-round, and not just the month of November- however, what is the meaning of Native American Heritage Month to you specifically?
Native voices should be heard and uplifted all the time- but I think for this month specifically, it’s a time for us Native folks to highlight all the cool stuff we’re doing. We’re proud of who we are all the time, but it’s a key time for people who are non-Indigenous and want to learn about our communities to have the time and opportunity to do so, and go to these events and learn. We do some really cool stuff, and we have some good knowledge to share. It’s a time to help us showcase our culture and redefine who we are as people, instead of looking towards stereotypes, and the assumptions made about us. This is our time to showcase who we are as people.