CHASKE SPENCER SET TO TESTIFY BEFORE US SENATE COMMITTEE ON INDIAN AFFAIRS

Washington, D.C. (May 1, 2010) - On Thursday, May 5, 2011 at 2:15 p.m., Chaske Spencer, star of the Twilight Saga film series: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn will testify before the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs at an oversight hearing on “Stolen Identities: The Impact of Racist Stereotypes on Indigenous People” in room 628 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Research shows that Native American mascots had negative effects on Native students’ self-esteem and sense of worth and that exposure to Native American team mascots increases a person's negative stereotyping of other races. The United States Commission on Civil Rights, NAACP, National Congress of American Indians, American Psychological Association and countless tribes and organizations have passed resolutions calling for an end to Indigenous-themed mascots. Spencer has been asked to join the hearing due to the fact that the emergence of Indigenous actors and directors has given Native people the opportunity to define how their culture is portrayed. Native actors and directors have the unique opportunity to make strides towards overturning decades of harmful stereotypes. Seeing Native people in positive roles brings a sense of pride to Native youth and boosts their self-esteem. Spencer shares, “I am honored to have been given the incredible opportunity to contribute in whatever way possible to the positive shift in the portrayal of native people in the media.”

The hearing will be webcast at http://indian.senate.gov/.
Spencer is passionate about making a difference with all people in the area of reducing poverty and creating sustainable communities. He is engaged in several projects to that end through the non-profit UNITED GLOBAL SHIFT and his personal project SHIFT THE POWER TO THE PEOPLE. This leads to Spencer, who is a Native American from the Lakota Sioux tribe in Idaho and Montana, speaking on behalf of the native community.

For more media inquiries on Chaske Spencer, please contact Mona Loring at contact@monaloring.com or (323) 462-8080.

Chaske Spencer plays werewolf leader “Sam Uley” in the popular Summit Entertainment The Twilight Saga film series: New Moon , Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Prior to New Moon, Chaske starred in the Broadway play, Dracula, playing the title role, performed New York Theatre pieces, at The Public Theatre in NYC and at The Roundabout. He has been in the films: Skins, Dreamkeeper and Steven Spielberg’s Into The West. There is now additional exciting news; this summer, Chaske will be filming the lead role of “Virgil First Raise” in the feature film of the book Winter In The Blood (by James Welch), which he is also co-producing. Also, Partnered with his manager Josselyne Herman and veteran producer Ted Kurdyla, his production company Urban Dream is in development on a feature film called The Block. Additionally, Chaske expects to soon be starring in All My Relations-- a role created specifically for him. All My Relations is a contemporary Native project that has been developed for television by producers Rene Haynes and Susan England.

MLC PR
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Mona Loring, press contact

This release was published on openPR.