By BROOKLYN BROWN
One Feather Reporter
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Indigenous Journalists Association (IJA) held the 2025 Indigenous Media Conference (IMC) in Albuquerque, N.M. at the Isleta Pueblo Resort & Casino from Aug. 13-15. I, Brooklyn Brown, One Feather reporter, attended the conference to speak on a panel titled, “Reporting on MMIP,” held by the International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF) Fund for Indigenous Journalists Reporting on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit People (MMIWG2S).
The panel was held on Aug. 13 at 2 p.m., with IWMF grantees participating in breakout group sessions. I discussed my coverage of MMIW on the Qualla Boundary through the grant, noting the importance of taking a family-centered approach to this type of reporting, patterns of intimate partner violence in the cases, and highlighting the work of the Qualla Boundary MMIW grass roots organization and the We Are Resilient Podcast in bringing awareness to the movement in Cherokee.
One Feather Reporter Brooklyn Brown is shown with her award from the Indigenous Journalists Association. She took second place in Excellence in Beat Reporting for her coverage of MMIW on in the Qualla Boundary. (Photo by Cody Hammer, Osiyo TV)
I also attended the opening night reception on Aug. 13 at the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center, which featured an art exhibit by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) artist Skye Tafoya. The opening night reception included traditional Pueblo foods and dancing.
I then attended a session on Aug. 14 titled, “Preserving Our Stories in Real Time,” led by the Sequoyah National Research Center from the University of Arkansas. I attended the session to learn more about oral history archiving for a potential Cherokee One Feather collaboration with the Qualla Boundary Historical Society to document the stories of our community through video and audio recordings paired with written articles.
Throughout the conference, I networked with several Indigenous media outlets including the Cherokee Phoenix, Smoke Signals from the Confederated Tribes of Grande Rhode, Buffalo’s Fire out of North Dakota, and more.
I was also able to network with vendors such as the Kewa Shop owned by Mary V. Rosetta from the Kewa Pueblo in New Mexico, and 19Twelve Clothing Co. founded by Fred Franco.
The conference ended with the IMC Awards Banquet, where I received second place in Excellence in Beat Reporting for my coverage of MMIW on in the Qualla Boundary. Troy Littledeer, a member of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians, received the Tim Giago Free Press Award.
Throughout the week I was able to explore the ancient homelands of the Isleta Pueblo, visit historic Old Town, and even discover a Cherokee wall-hanging basket signed by Alyne Driver in an antique store in Old Town.
Overall, the conference was a significant opportunity for the Cherokee One Feather to share our work with Indian Country, network with other Indigenous media outlets, and explore future collaborations with media institutions.
