Dr. Lee Francis, IV
November 6th, TIME
PLACE

For more than four hundred years, Native and Indigenous people have played a significant role in global popular culture.  From the earliest portrayals of the “Noble Savage” through the villainous “Red Devil”, the images and representations of Native American and North American Indigenous Peoples have permeated the collective consciousness around the world. But what does it look like when that identity is reclaimed? Join Dr. IndigiNerd as he reflects on the past, present and future of Indigenous representation in popular media and how everyone should be an Indiginerd!

Dr. Lee Francis 4 (Pueblo of Laguna) aka Dr. IndigiNerd is the Founder and Chief Imagination Officer of the Indigenous Imagination Workshop an organization dedicated to sparking and cultivating the Indigenous Imagination.  He is an educator and entrepreneur and is the founder of the Indigenous Comic Con, Indigenous Worlds of Wonder, the Indigenous Futurisms Festival, Native Realities and Red Planet Books and Comics. He is also an award-winning writer and editor and has multiple publications from poetry to short stories to comics. He was the host and lead writer for IndigiGenius on New Mexico PBS and the co-producer for Sovereign Innovations on PBS Digital. He is also the creator of Sovereignty Gardens, a Native American kids puppetry show that teaches youth about gardening and food sovereignty. He continues to be a strong advocate for Native American youth especially in helping them in the areas of creative entrepreneurship. He lives in North Carolina with his family.