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Imagining the Indian

ESPN – The Sporting Life with Jeremy Schaap

by Jessie Atkin | Jul 17, 2020 | Press Coverage

Kevin Blackistone, the co-producer of an upcoming film about the Washington Redskins and the push to change their name, explains why he has long been an opponent of the Redskins name.

Washington Should Avoid ‘Warriors’ or ‘Red Tails’ for New Team Name, ‘Imagining the Indian’ Directors Say

by Jessie Atkin | Jul 16, 2020 | Press Coverage

“I hope that it’s done responsibly. I think some of the names being kicked around right now are problematic, and anything including ‘Red’ in it, we need to start with a clean slate here, not try to hang onto any of the holdover from previous names and imagery,” West,...

WTOP – DC’s NFL team needs to get away from red and apologize

by Jessie Atkin | Jul 16, 2020 | Press Coverage

Blackstone, one of the co-producers’ of a documentary film in production called “Imagining the Indian” about the movement to eradicate Native American names, logos and mascots in the world of sports and beyond, applauds the name change decision, but there is concern...

The Kojo Nnamdi Show – After Decades Of Pushback, The Washington Football Team Is Retiring Its Name

by Jessie Atkin | Jul 16, 2020 | Press Coverage

A discussion of the latest news in the football team’s name change and how indigenous communities have been stereotyped with Kevin Blackstone, Ray Halbritter and Tom Sherwood.

The Wrap – Washington Should Avoid ‘Warriors’ or ‘Red Tails’ for New Team Name, ‘Imagining the Indian’ Directors Say

by Jessie Atkin | Jul 15, 2020 | Press Coverage

Directors Aviva Kempner and Ben West, whose film focuses on the fight to change the team name, told TheWrap that team owner Dan Snyder’s decision retire the name is a huge step in the right direction, but they hope the team will start from scratch in picking a new...

WTOP – DC’s NFL team needs to get away from red and apologize

by Jessie Atkin | Jul 14, 2020 | Press Coverage

Blackistone is one of the co-producers’ of a documentary film in production called “Imagining the Indian” about the movement to eradicate Native American names, logos and mascots in the world of sports and beyond. While Blackistone and the other filmmakers behind...
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Recent Posts

  • Deb Haaland (Interviewed for “Imagining the Indian”) Becomes First Native American Cabinet Secretary
  • Chief of Cherokee Nation Says ‘It’s Time’ for Jeep to Stop Using Name
  • Aunt Jemima Has a New Name After 131 Years: The Pearl Milling Company
  • The Chiefs enter the field to the sound of the tomahawk chop.
  • What Winning Should Really Look Like for the Washington Football Team

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    Aviva Kempner

    Director  |  Producer

    A Washington, D.C.-based filmmaker, creates successful and critically acclaimed documentaries about under-known Jewish heroes and social justice. In 2019, she premiered her fifth commercially-released film, The Spy Behind Home Plate. Her other films include Rosenwald, a documentary about how Chicago businessman and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald partnered with Booker T. Washington in establishing over 5,000 schools for African Americans in the Jim Crow South, which she dedicated to the Black Lives Matter movement; Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, about Gertrude Berg, who created the first television sitcom; and the Emmy-nominated and Peabody-awarded The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, about the Hall of Famer who faced anti-Semitism during the ’30s.  Both Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg, and Hank Greenberg grossed over a million dollars at the box office and are highly ranked, along with Rosenwald, on Rotten Tomatoes.  She also produced the award-winning documentary Partisans of Vilna, about Jews fighting the Nazis.

    Kempner also co-wrote and is co-producing the dramatic script Casuse with fellow Imagining the Indian director and producer Ben West. The film is about the Navajo activist Larry Casuse, who Kempner knew while a VISTA volunteer in New Mexico in the early ’70s. While attending the Antioch School of Law in Washington, D.C., Kempner interned at the Office of the Solicitor at the Department of Interior’s Indian Affairs. Upon graduation, she worked at the National Tribal Chairman’s Association and the National Conference of American Indians.

    Kempner is an activist and advocate for statehood for Washington, D.C.as a board member of DC Vote.

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    Amanda Blackhorse in Phoenix, AZ

    Producer Kevin Blackistone and Director Ben West with Yocha Dehe at California Native American Day in Sacramento, CA

    Arizona to Rally Against Native Mascots in Phoenix, AZ

    Amy West, and Richard West in Los Angeles, CA

    Amanda Blackhorse and Prof. James Riding In in Phoenix, AZ

    Marshall McKay in Los Angeles, CA

    Bronson Koenig, and Director Ben West in Washington, DC

    Directors Ben West and Aviva Kempner at the Inaugural Indigenous Filmmakers Lounge at Sundance Film Festival in Park City, UT

    Director Ben West at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC

    Arizona to Rally Against Native Mascots in Phoenix, AZ

    Prof. James Riding In in Phoenix, AZ

    Kevin Gover and Directors Ben West and Aviva Kempner at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC 

    Congresswoman Debra Haaland in Washington, DC

    Duke Harjo with Producer Sam Bardley in Washington, DC

    Mary Kathryn-Nagle with Director Aviva Kempner and Producer Kevin Blackistone in Washington, DC

    Congressman Jamie Raskin with Director Aviva Kempner in Washington, DC