Visibility is Protection. Representation is Justice. Storytelling is Survival.

Founder’s Message

A Message from Joanelle Romero:

“When Native women are absent from media and the broader narrative, it sends a dangerous message – that we don’t matter, that our lives are invisible. I am a survivor of sexual assault. I speak my truth so others do not remain unheard.”

Personal Origins and the Power of Storytelling

(Content Warning: Mentions of sexual assault)

The foundation of this work is deeply personal.

It all began with my work on one of the first Native women’s stories ever produced for CBS, The Girl Called Hatter Fox(1977). Portraying Hatter Fox was a life-changing experience. It was not simply a role – it became a turning point in my understanding of identity, survival, and storytelling.

Through that work, I began to reflect more deeply on my own life and the experiences I had already endured as a teenager, including sexual assault and rape involving a high-profile actor within the entertainment industry. These experiences shaped my awareness of power, silence, and the systemic structures that often protect perpetrators while silencing survivors.

Years later, my life in the entertainment industry continued to expose me to further trauma. In 1980, after leaving a tour where I was working as a backup singer with a well-known country artist who beat and raped me. Following that experience while on a plane home from this tour, I was abducted by two individuals, held against my will, and forcibly drugged, resulting in a prolonged period of unconsciousness lasting several days. In a brief moment of awareness, I pleaded for my release, and I was eventually let go.

These experiences are not separate from my work – they are the foundation of it.

They have profoundly shaped my life’s mission and my commitment to advocacy, truth-telling, and systemic change. They are the reason I have dedicated my career to ensuring that Native and Indigenous women are no longer invisible in media, policy, or public consciousness.

My work today is rooted in a singular belief: silence is not neutrality – it is erasure.

Through film, television, and media, I am committed to building spaces where Native and Indigenous women are visible, protected, centered, and heard. This includes not only storytelling, but structural advocacy for justice, representation, and accountability.

The Founding of NWIFTV Why We Wear Red

In 2018, in direct response to this growing national dialogue and the urgent need for representation in media, Native Women in Film & Television in All Media launched the #WhyWeWearRed Call to Action and media coalition. This initiative was founded on January 7, 2018, by humanitarian, actress, producer, director, and founder Joanelle Romero of the Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI).

The Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI), known as The Creative Enterprise by Natives delivering to all people the stories that shape our world, is the longest-running Native women-led Indigenous media arts and cultural nonprofit organization in the history of the entertainment industry. For over three decades, RNCI has been dedicated to elevating Native voices, advancing authentic representation, and creating systemic change within film, television, and media.

The creation of Why We Wear Red was rooted in a simple but powerful truth: visibility saves lives.

The Birth of #WhyWeWearRed

In October 2017, when the Harvey Weinstein story broke and led into the Golden Globes on January 7, 2018, I observed something powerful unfolding across the entertainment industry. Many actresses appeared wearing black in solidarity with the #WhyWeWearBlack movement, calling attention to sexual harassment and abuse in Hollywood.

I was inspired by this moment of collective visibility and solidarity. I immediately called my board of directors and proposed a parallel movement – one that would center Native and Indigenous women, whose stories are too often excluded from mainstream media narratives entirely.

From that conversation, #WhyWeWearRed was born.

We launched the campaign through Native Women in Film & Television in All Media, asking Native communities, allies, artists, and advocates to take a photograph with a red handprint across their face and share it publicly using the hashtag #WhyWeWearRed.

The red handprint became a symbol of both visibility and resistance – representing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Relatives, as well as the silenced voices that have long been absent from media, policy, and public discourse.

What began as a social media campaign quickly grew into a national and international movement.

A Movement That Became a Call to Action

The Why We Wear Red initiative evolved beyond social media into a sustained call to action across film, television, advocacy, education, and public policy.

It became a bridge between media representation and human rights – connecting storytelling to survival, visibility to safety, and narrative to justice.

The campaign amplified a critical truth: when Native women are absent from media, they are also absent from public urgency. And when they are absent from public urgency, they are more likely to remain unprotected within systems designed to serve them.

Through NWIFTV and RNCI, Why We Wear Red continues to challenge the entertainment industry and public institutions to confront the consequences of invisibility.

Legacy and Continuing Impact

Since its founding, Why We Wear Red has grown into a national platform for awareness, advocacy, and media engagement. It has been integrated into film festivals, educational programs, public policy discussions, and community-led initiatives across Indian Country and beyond.

The initiative continues to honor Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, while calling for systemic reform in media representation, law enforcement coordination, and public policy engagement.

Conclusion

They are part of a larger truth:

Visibility is not symbolic – it is protective.
Representation is not optional – It is life-saving.
And storytelling is not entertainment alone – it is justice.

Through this work, we continue to honor those we have lost, support those still searching, and build a future where Native and Indigenous women are seen, heard, and protected in every space where decisions are made.