Every second Monday evening of each month, Vision Maker Media and The Ross Media Arts Center present free in-person public screenings that feature Native American films by and about Native Americans and Alaska Natives. The Native American Film Series showcases stories about cultural heritage, art, history, music, civic leadership, youth, and more. Q&A sessions enhance each screening.

In the Wake of Justice Delayed

The American justice system promises a timely resolution for crimes but is failing our Alaska Native families who wait years, and even decades for resolution within our system. Consequently, this leads to general distrust, lower reporting and higher recidivism by perpetrators who are unpunished or rehabilitated and left to run free in the communities where their crimes were committed. This film looks deep within families fighting for justice after a loved one is murdered, with particular attention to systemic historical roots and perpetuation of generational trauma as context and basis for understanding the current epidemic of violence.

The film will be followed by a Q&A with Katrina Jagodinsky and Nicole Stoops, moderated by Indian Center, Inc., Executive Director Wathina Porter.

Katrina Jagodinsky is the Susan J. Rosowski Associate Professor of History at UNL. She is a legal historian examining marginalized peoples’ engagement with nineteenth-century legal regimes and competing jurisdictions throughout the North American West. Jagodinsky holds a Ph.D. in History (2011) and M.A. in American Indian Studies (2004) from the University of Arizona, and she earned her B.A. (2002) from Lawrence University. She spent a postdoctoral year at Southern Methodist University’s Clements Center for Southwest Studies before joining the department and was the inaugural Jack & Nancy Farley Distinguished Visiting Scholar in History at Simon Fraser University in 2019.

Nicole “Nikki” Stoops is the Vice President of Engagement at the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN), a role she has held since July 2022, where she leads efforts to strengthen stakeholder and membership involvement, guide communications and branding strategies, and build broad support for AFN’s mission while shaping how the organization is perceived and understood. She was honored in 2019 with both the Top 40 Under 40 Award from the Alaska Chamber of Commerce and the Native American 40 Under 40 Award from the National Center for American Indian Enterprise Development. Prior to joining AFN, Nikki served as Executive Director for the Native Village of Kotzebue and later relocated to Anchorage with her family to become Senior Director of Corporate Communications at NANA Regional Corporation. She is a shareholder of NANA Regional Corporation and Kikiktagruk Inupiat Corporation, as well as an enrolled tribal member of the Native Village of Kotzebue. Nikki earned her Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Mass Communication from Northeastern University in Boston and now lives in Anchorage with her husband, Jake, and their two sons, Casey and Cale, and enjoys cheering them on at their baseball games.