Episode 12: Tsailii Rogers

On this episode of Not Invisible: Native Peoples on the Frontlines we chat with actor, activist and social impact producer, Tsailii Rogers! We discuss her social impact work at Silent T Productions, her journey towards activism and her role in the MMIW film, Voices Unheard, no playing on YouTube.

Follow @tsailii and @silentTproductions to learn more and be sure to check out her website at silentTproductions.com

Transcript

Tsailii Rogers  0:00  

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, this concept is not new. This concept has been around since the beginning of freakin time since colonization. And it's not getting better because of the intrinsic racism that is embedded in our government. And the fact that I actually took part in this project, I felt so connected to it. And I felt like the story really resonated with a lot of indigenous sisters and friends and, and relatives that I know.

LeAndra Nephin  0:32  

That was actor, social impact producer and activist saili Rogers on this episode of not invisible native peoples on the frontlines. saili joins us to talk about her work with silent tea productions, her activism and her role in the MMI W film voices heard. Thank you for joining us. I'm your host, Leandra nefyn

Tsailii Rogers  0:55  

Seeley Welcome to our show today. How are you doing? I am so so excited to be here. And I love your guys's work. I'm just honored to be a part of this positive impact initiative to shine light on missing and murdered indigenous women and all the positive impact work that we're working on right now. Absolutely. We are just really, really honored and so pleased that you joined us today. So for our audience that maybe listening, can you just talk us through a little bit of and tell us about yourself and some of the projects that you're involved in? Sure. Yeah. So I'm Sally Rogers. I am Nick. Hi, Dinesh, the Pentagon Am I Nellie clan, and can Licinia my cheap clan. My late father who was in heaven now he was Denat from the good Natto, Arizona Navajo Nation area. And my mother is Latina. So Mexican and Spanish, I grew up just causing chaos with my family and just creating positive change in New Mexico and Arizona with no running water, no electricity. And also I have roots in California. So I was raised by a really strong indigenous matriarchs and indigenous positive changemakers. So here, I am now creating positive change through grant writing. And so I work with a lot of social impact producers and organizations that are creating positive change by helping them secure federal, state and local funding. And then I've been doing that since I was 17. So a minute, a little bit longer than a minute. And then about five years ago, the film industry started kind of exploding in New Mexico because of our governor's tax incentives. And we do have really hard working people. And we have a lot of creative people here. And we have a lot of space. So all those different elements came into play with growing the film industry. And I just kind of was uniquely prepared to get involved. I was in a lot of performing arts schools throughout my life, I just loved her indigenous babies and knew that we were very creative. And she just always just nurtured that. So I was an acting, I was in modeling, I was always into fashion. And I'm the youngest of five kids, people usually think that I'm the only one but my my siblings are a little bit more private. But when I got involved in the film industry about five years ago, that's kind of when I started getting a little bit more involved in social media. And so now looking back, it's social media has been a great tool. But it's also been an avenue for some people that aren't necessarily involved in good intentions and stuff to kind of try to get in the way of our impact work. And so I think a lot of that ultimately ties into some of the factors that lead into missing and murdered indigenous women. So long story short, I just tried to collaborate with other creators, as many historically marginalized creators as possible. On our sets, we have a skilled filmmaker, and we pair them up with aspiring filmmakers to get the aspiring filmmakers of color trained so they can actually pursue their dreams. So that's what we kind of do. And we do you know, whether we're doing grant writing or film production, or commercials, or just even you know, we do a lot of keynote speeches where we just tie in our indigenous values, and we help companies and social entrepreneurs, fulfill their mission, but with global impact, it sounds like you've just had this amazing backstory particularly around a lot of different variety in terms of projects that you've been involved in different roles and different I guess, hats that you have you were but as you were speaking, I guess I kind of took out of that a couple of things that you mentioned in terms of you know, the word impact and producer and impact producing

I mean, how would you describe that role? In particular? I think I'm just as a indigenous woman and a woman of color. I don't think that it's far fetched to say that we all were kind of raised by really strong matriarchs, and I think most of us are innately naturally inside. We're naturally caretakers. And so, you know, a lot of us grew up with limited resources. And so we, I think we just we have a natural ability, and a natural desire to want to make sure that everybody's okay. And so I've been that way since I came out of the womb, because my mom was that way, because my Grammys are that way. Because my my Auntie's my sister, we all just have this desire and this burning passion to make sure that all of our loving people or brothers or sisters are okay, right. And so I feel like that kind of encompasses what an impact producer is impact to me is positive change. And so whether I'm writing grants, or whether I'm collaborating with other filmmakers to ensure we get as many people of color on set, whether I'm working with writers to make sure that okay, we can tell a story, but how can we make a difference with a story. So that to me, is just always keeping in mind, other people and always keeping in mind that no matter what we do, when we get out of bed, every single decision that we make, we can try to make a difference while we make those decisions. And so that's kind of who I've been since I was a little girl, because that's those are the types of people that I was raised by. And so I started doing film I was uniquely qualified to produce because I've always been like a resource allocator you know, someone who is trying to collaborate with all walks of life to create these grassroots initiatives that create positive change, and basically make the world a better place. And so in my eyes, that's what a positive impact producer is. And so that's just kind of, I mean, people now everybody's into these titles. And so I thought, well, if I'm going to have a title, that's basically what I encompass, you know, and so I've just really done my best to try and leverage my passions of giving back of honoring and celebrating my cultures,

mixing it up with my business background paired with my creative, and, and love for fashion. And so, you know, that's kind of my own spin on what an impact producer Datsun is, yeah, I love that kind of carrying that positive vibe, you know, in terms of all areas of your work, and just kind of completely embracing that. And the fact that, you know, how great is that, that you were raised by parents who instilled that sort of what's the word almost kind of instilled that, you know, responsibility, or even just that, you know, caring that, you know, as indigenous peoples, we often talk about our responsibilities and obligations to other people. And so that kind of resonates with me in terms of what you're talking about. And so I guess when you're kind of thinking about trying to make that positive change, you know, in the world, what have you found in terms of hurdles that you've faced as a producer, and even your team more from a macro level, what sort of hurdles have you had to overcome money is always a big deal. Filmmaking is not cheap, it filmmaking literally bringing an idea to life from concept to fruition, or we call it distribution, it is one of the most challenging things that I've ever done. But it's also one of the most rewarding ventures that I've done, because it's kind of hard to explain, because it's just like, like I said, like with every decision that I make, I'm trying to make decisions that I know will positively impact the communities and the audiences that we serve. And so we run into funding challenges we run into me personally, when I started working on this missing and murdered indigenous woman film, it's called voices on heard it's actually out on YouTube right now you can watch it. It's about a native girl who Mardi she actually went away. She moved to New York, and she's a professional photographer. She's clearly educated and, and one of her best friends. She ends up going missing when they collaborate on a project. And so the story depicts what happens when an indigenous woman goes missing. And there's some contrast in another case where a non native girl goes missing and it shows how the media highlights the non native girl, as opposed to the native girl

And Marty, the main character, which is I play her, she's just so frustrated because she's trying to work with agencies and she's trying to explain to them look, my girlfriend is missing. And when she's going to these agencies for help, they're assuming Oh, she's just on the red, she's probably partying and Marty's like, they don't drink, like we don't drink. We're not your, quote unquote stereotypical, unfortunately drunken Indians. You know, that's what a lot of people unfortunately, no native says, in particular to non native, It's sickening. And so it just the story kind of unfolds. And it highlights those issues. And the fact that basically missing and murdered indigenous women, this concept is not new. This concept has been around since the beginning of freakin time since colonization. And it's not getting better because of the intrinsic racism that is embedded in our governments. And the fact that I actually took part in this project, I felt so connected to it. And I felt like the story really resonated with a lot of indigenous sisters and friends and, and relatives that I know. And it's just really, really sad that after I worked on this project, I became the target of a lot of harassment. And then also, a couple years before that, I actually was hired by Deb Holland, the first of two Native American Congresswoman. And that didn't go well, because some non native people in her office didn't like the fact that I was overworking. And basically, they tapped into all my resources. And I just was a complete open book for them. And then not long into the position, I was let go. And so it's just that's the type of situation that happens when you really do have good intentions. And you really are there to create positive, because there's so much negative in the world. And because a lot of the most powerful, you know, public people who are native, they're there for the wrong reasons, that people who are there trying to make a difference end up getting targeted for harassment, and the harassment that I experienced after working in politics for Deb Holland, and also working on this voices heard about missing and murdered indigenous women actually caused me to have to move out of state during the pandemic. So those were the biggest hurdles that I've experienced is, you know, funding and just, you know, highlighting things that are going on that make indigenous people even more vulnerable than we already are, that is tied to a lot of things that generate a lot of money, like missing and murdered indigenous women is actually tied to human trafficking. And people for some reason, don't get that. But I found that out through my research, and through my experience working on these projects. And so after that, I became the target for people who are involved in these sickening things that are detrimental to indigenous populations.

LeAndra Nephin  13:12  

Yeah, I guess for me, I'm thinking in terms of kind of how you take care of the emotional toll that that takes on you. What do you do to kind of help navigate this spaces in terms of self care and self preservation? Particularly, I mean, it's really quite alarming the fact that you had to move away from Is it your home or your home state or so your are you living actually away from your family then?

Tsailii Rogers  13:42  

So I actually did move to Washington during the pandemic. And it's, it's interesting because the harassment started before the pandemic. So I felt like I was quarantining before the pandemic because the harassment it was it was organized harassment. People hacked into all of my accounts, just like specific types of social media accounts were following me just masses of people it just it's called organized harassment for self care. I met meditation has changed my life. I think that that's when I have always meditated but not on a consistent basis. But when the harassment really started, I just started meditating on a daily basis and that mixed with burning my sage every morning having my traditional ceremonies and just having faith on my mom was and she still is a devout Catholic. So I I'm more spiritual because I combined my dinner and my indigenous ceremonies with you know some Catholicism as well, but I don't I'm not a practicing Catholic anymore after I heard about the priests molesting and I'm just just like, I'm not, you know, I'm staying away. You cannot judge me for not going to church like, I'm going to create my own way of just being in my spirituality. So that's what I've done and, and I think self care family knowing that no matter what, you know, our families can drive us crazy sometimes, but at the end of the day, no matter what, they're always there. So, yeah, I'm known to kind of push the buttons and to kind of shine light on these things that a lot of people keep quiet about, because apparently, it is dangerous to speak up. And that's why a lot of people don't speak up. And I can personally say that that is true, because I've experienced it firsthand. So fortunately, I think the harassment has died down a bit, I think another thing that I really did to take care of myself during the harassment and, and the pandemic, because I was also going through the harassment, but then also the pandemic. So there was just like this an insane amount of anxiety that I was working through. But it was meditation, staying close to family staying very close to my ceremonies and my faith.

LeAndra Nephin  16:01  

I mean, I like how you kind of touched upon resilience capabilities in terms of access to support, you know, a lot of what you're talking about is building upon those strengths that you possess, because of the family you grew up with, because of as you said, the matriarch of your your mom, you know, having your strong roots grounded in your indigeneity. And so I guess, it was just really nice to hear how that really contributes to you finding joy, despite, you know, these really kind of adverse experiences that you've had, which sound absolutely awful in terms of kind of, I guess, projects that you're involved in. Now, in this moment. What have you got any sort of current projects?

Tsailii Rogers  16:43  

Yeah, so another, I think, truly are our hills, right. And especially for indigenous people. I think when I first started to do filmmaking, one of the biggest things that I noticed while working on set, and I've been most on the show, Longmeyer, my work on the most recent season of The Biggest Loser, is I don't see enough indigenous representation. And honestly, I feel like indigenous people are freaking unicorns, like we are some of the most like, our style is so fire and like, like our like, just the way that we do stuff. I didn't just like I look at us, and I'm like, Ah, like, yes, like even better me. I'm like, just like anything, like, if we're laying brick, or if we're like, I look up my brother's a developer and he leaves tile and he sees epically designs. And it's just so not be sick. And I love it. And so, for me, it's just trying to involve as many creators as possible, if you're listening to this right now, thank you so much for listening to me Blab. But I want you to be able to reach out to me on Instagram, it's just my first name, Sally Tsai, Instagram, and then reach out to me on my website, it's silent t productions.com. And there's a let's impact the globe form on there. If you're interested in collaborating as a filmmaker, or designers or artists, I do do a lot of art consulting as well. I have a really nice book of clients who they just come to me if they want indigenous art, or you know, any type of just indigenous solution. I'm just grateful that a lot of people think of me right away. So if you know, just just connect with me, I'm here to help. And during the pandemic, when I was going through all that harassment and stuff, I just, you know, I created this online secondhand store, it's called second chance. And so it's it's actually on my website, if you click on the tab, second chance, you'll see there's all this sustainable at first I was marketing as wardrobe, because it could be used on film, and those props and stuff. But it's just basically I love fashion. And I think that it's as an indigenous person, we're very resourceful, I think it's really good that we get in the habit of using our resources that we have instead of going to the store and buying new I'm also wearing a digitus woman's protector hoodie that I designed that has some sweet arrows on the sleeves and then it has just indigenous woman protector on the back all the proceeds to the hoodies and any of the the products that we have on the website at second chance that have indigenous woman's protector, all the proceeds go to helping indigenous woman at risk and we want to you know make sure that they are able to meet their immediate needs. Just not too long ago, I saw an indigenous woman at the post office dressed on red and she asked me if I wanted my Windows cleaned and she had tears in her eyes and I said no thank you because I have just gotten my card cleaned, but she walked away. And I had this really weird feeling that she was being trafficked. And so before I dropped off some packages for a second chance, and when I came out, I had money. And so I gave her $40. And she just started bawling. And I wanted to take her somewhere, but I had this weird feeling that she was being watched. And so before my harassment, I probably would have stuck her in my car and taken her home, you know, but now, you know, I'm trying to use more discernment and trying to be more I mean, if I was with another person, maybe I would have thought to take her to a shelter. But through my situation, I've learned that some of those shelters are actually the shelters and a lot of the organizations that claim to help missing and murdered indigenous women or indigenous women at risk are actually contributing to the problem because you know, these these traffickers are going to those organizations, and they're threatening their workers to get information about the at risk women and then targeting the women. So it's, it's all connected. But I think one of the best ways that we can combat this awful culprit is to support indigenous creators, by native just support indigenous people. And when you support them, that means that you listen to them if they tell you that they're being harassed, or if they tell you that they know of, you know, something shady going on, believe them don't think that they're the culprit, because that's, I mean, I experienced that firsthand. I started reaching out to the police, I found out that there's a lot of organized crime that's involved in trafficking. So it's like, it's literally it's so sickening the way that a lot of these systems work, you know, and so, I think the best way that we can fight this culprit is to educate people through podcasts like this, educate people through our stories the way we have since the beginning of time, and support natives support their art by the art by native and, and hopefully, you know, just stick together and just try to take care of each other. We've gotten through so much and our ancestors have gone through so much. It's up to us to make sure that our future generations don't go through the same things.

LeAndra Nephin  22:19  

All right, we've the hall thank you so much for spending time with us on our virtual couch. And to our listeners, wonky they weave the hall we thank you all for tuning in to this episode of not invisible native peoples on the front lines. This has been not invisible native peoples on the frontlines a house on fire production. For more information on Sally's work and silent T productions. Check out this episode show notes on our website. Be sure to follow her on Instagram at Sealy or at silent T productions. If you enjoyed today's conversation, be sure to leave us a five star review on Apple podcasts and tell two friends about us. Have an idea for a guest send us a message on Instagram at Red House series. This episode is produced by spirit Buffalo and Ashley cinders Robinson. Our editor is Abby friends. The song for this episode is another side by wild whispers produced by Ben Reno, Eli love and Megan Lee. I'm your host Leandra Nephin. Until next time, one day I thank you all