We are proud to announce the partnership of Running Strong for American Indian Youth and She Carries Her House!
Today we are honored to announced that Billy has been named executive producer of an Indigenous documentary featuring the story of 2022 Dreamstarter Ku Stevens’ great-grandfather’s escape from a federal Indian boarding school.
Native filmmaker Paige Bethmann (Haudenosaunee) has directed the film, “Remaining Native” described as “a coming-of-age story that asks if it’s possible to run from home without running away from home you are.” Paige states that “this film emerges during a time when Indigenous children are still being discovered in unmarked graves at former boarding school institutions… The time for this story is now and is well overdue.”
Ku (Yerington Paiute) is a college freshman with the ability and determination to become an elite runner. On August 14, Ku realized his dream of hosting his second 50-mile “Remembrance Run,” to the Stewart Indian Boarding School in Carson City, Nevada, through the desert and mountains from the Yerington Paiute Reservation to honor the children who ran from Stewart, as did his “togo” (great-grandfather Frank Quinn).
As noted by the film production company, She Carries Her House, “When the remains of thousands of Native American children are discovered across North America, Ku’s painful family history is revealed and he’s forced to reexamine his identity.
“He learns of his own great-grandfather escaped an Indian boarding school by foot at age eight. In an act of reverence, Ku set out to run the same 50-mile escape route his great-grandfather took.”
For more information, to show your support, and to view the Remaining Native teaser, please visit the film website at https://www.remainingnativedocumentary.com/
