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TMP Revamps To Fight Massive
Racism In Hollywood (2-24-10)
When TMP first got started, we had
intended that Hollywood celebrities help us prove that the industry was
not racist against Native Americans by simply helping present and expose
Native American cultures, people, and talent through the globally
televised social transformation project known as the Celebrity
Festival For Native America in Hollywood, CA. Sadly, many major
celebrities via their agents, TV and film executives, and others
refused to lend us a hand---even those who had already won awards for
fighting racism flatly refused to help a project fighting Native
American racism or promoting Native American cultural awareness and
respect.
All we had asked celebrities to do
was to
donate about 2 hours of their time in Hollywood taking photos and
signing autographs for their own fans, nothing more, but they refused. In fact, we were going to give them over 3 hours of top notch
entertainment and a massive After Party with world leaders for being
such good sports, but they still refused.
We were shocked!
We researched and discovered the
three primary reasons why celebrities and others in Hollywood refused to help us:
1)
we did not offer them money to stand up against racism, or
2) they were racist, or
3) in some cases they thought we were just
one of millions of charities looking for a
handout--they never took the time (about 20 seconds) to learn that we
were a social transformation project fighting for Native American
equality in Hollywood and around the world--not charity focused.
We were even more shocked!
We were forced to close our doors and
we went away
defeated. We went away greatly ashamed for Hollywood and all who work
there. We quietly faded away...
Native Americans did not want
us to fade away...
The unexpected happened after the
Celebrity Festival For Native America had been stopped cold by the industry
(and city) of Hollywood. One
American Indian came forward, then many more came to our rescue and made donations
and spurred us to restart our efforts--to go back into battle and this
time to take off all the gloves. They wanted equality and were willing
to fight for it... so here we go again!
We Are Nice People, Not
Troublemakers--Not Yet Anyway!
We played nice and sweet and
positive for over a year and it got us nowhere so we decided let's try something new...
let's try exposure! Let's OUT THE RACISTS BY NAME! Let's expose the
haters and file lawsuits for Civil Rights
violations and discrimination and social harms created by thousands of
derogatory entertainment outputs that have attacked the Indian for over
100 years.
Let's point out the fact that the
industry has not attempted to balance the scales with equally sustained
and positive film and television outputs to those of racist content (for
every 40 racist or derogatory films, the industry has submitted but 1 in
counter).
Let's point out the fact there has
never been a major, modern-set film or series featuring a legally
recognized Native American in a lead role.
Let's point out the fact there has
never been a major, modern set film or series featuring Native American
life and culturally related content.
Let's point out the fact that
major films have recently cast non legally recognized Native Americans
in major roles to portray Native American characters.
Let's tell the stories from the
experiences of legally recognized Native Americans attempting to get
cast in Hollywood but instead being treated with discrimination based
strictly on their heritage.
Let's talk about cast and crew
members on production sets who, when given the opportunity to work with
legally recognized Native American talent, treat them with disrespect
and derogatory name calling using slang terms such as "Chief"
or "Mr. Ingine."
What Tried To Talk Positive
Instead...
All we really wanted to do was
talk about how great Native America really was and show the world our
talents through a positively charged week of televised events known as
the Celebrity Festival For Native America... but the LA City Mayor,
Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, networks, hundreds of celebrities via
their agents and managers, big name producers and directors,
studios--can you believe they all said no!
Let's get this straight... an
entire industry and city tells an entire race of people to go to hell
and we are suppose to quietly go away and stand for it?
And what's worse, nobody in the
press covers the story?
How do we continue to play nice
when nobody will help us play that way? Is our hand not forced
now...?
Now We Have To Go Legal To Get
Help And Respect--So Sad!
Okay, we ask a new set of
questions because a bunch of hungry lawyers smell a multi-billion dollar
payoff (even though that's not what we prefer). We asked ourselves what
if we take the gloves off and just go after all those harming the
entertainment industry as well as Native Americans, a federally
protected minority...
Let's go after filmmakers and art
directors for falsely applying or post-production sell inauthentic
Indian artwork displayed onscreen while using Whites, Latinos, Asians,
and other nonIndians to create it toward violating Federally protected Indian Arts laws.
Let's go after talent agencies,
agents, and actors that misrepresent their clients as being Native
American when in fact they are not even a little bit, let alone legally
recognized Indians.
Let's go after news organizations
who routinely ply racism in their editorial board policies, effectively
keeping Native American minority issues from the masses while
over-promoting news coverage of other minority and majority classes,
affecting institutionalized racism discrimination against Native
Americans.
Let's go after film distribution
companies that fail to give Native America talent and content equal
access to distribution outlets.
Let's go after film and casting
directors who cast non-legally recognized Native Americans instead of
those from this protected minority class to portray their Indian characters, if
not legally, then ethically and morally.
Lets go after celebrities and
talent that take the parts of Native American characters even though
they themselves are not legally recognized Native Americans. Let's
picket their films and shows and issue boycotts.
Let's go after film and other
media funders in the industry who routinely omit Native American content
projects from their deal rosters.
Let's go after networks who
continue to allow casting of other minorities but deliberately exclude
Native Americans from major roles.
Let's go after the major industry
organizations that routinely fail to help Native American talent
progress and proliferate and to secure both minor and major roles
in television, film, and other media--to ensure an adequate talent
pool--to encourage directors and producers toward inclusion.
Let's bring a 100,000 Native American protestors to the streets of Hollywood
and disrupt businesses to ensure we make the international news and
teach the world just how racist Hollywood and everyone who works there
is---let's stream the event and go viral!
Let's point out bigotry
everywhere it attacks Native Americans and if need be, help educate
consumers and destroy careers and hundreds
of millions in profits.
Let's attack in every way possible until the haters fall on
their own swords!
WOW! We can't believe we're
saying this... well not saying it, actually, but instead committing to
it!
And then we said, let's hold that
thought and those actions and not get carried away just yet because we
started out as nice and positive and we prefer to stay nice and positive
if we can...
On Second Thought...
We
said, let's be more than fair and let's give everyone a second chance.
We all make mistakes. Maybe most of Hollywood was really in slot #3
above? Maybe they're not being racist at all but have some mundane
excuse as to why they never offered us their help--their solidarity to
show Hollywood is not a racist town or industry. Let's give them the
benefit of the doubt and try one more time! That's seems pretty
reasonable and fair, right?
A Second Chance...
How
about this, we said... let's give everyone in Hollywood ONE MORE CHANCE
TO DO THE RIGHT THING! Let's assume we were the ones that made the
mistake. Let's assume we had a simple communications error and let's act
accordingly.
Here's Our Third Official Call
For Your Voluntary Support Hollywood Celebrities, Networks, Etc...
If you're a celebrity, executive,
agent, network, or anyone of influence in the
entertainment industry (on either coast), please send us a letter and let us know
how you feel about Native American racism in Hollywood. Let us know if you are willing
to help Native Americans in their (still) peaceful struggle to gain parody
in Hollywood and around the world---to try and stop an ongoing 100 years of
Hollywood racism against American Indians and start the industry in a
new direction, toward a more positive light and future.
Let us
know if you support the Ticci Man Project and wish to participate in
a Celebrity Festival For Native America world event and volunteer your
time for it.
If you are sincere, please respond
by May 30, 2010 deadline. And let's hope enough people respond so we can keep
the whole thing professional, fun, upbeat, classy, and very positive...
we know the alternative so let's try to avoid going there if we can.
Mail
To:
Ticci Man Project
POB 91437
San Diego, CA 92169
Note:
We do not accept any mail that must be signed for... sorry!
Thank You!
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