Joanelle Romero facts for kids

Joanelle Romero is an American actress, filmmaker, and a strong voice for Native American people in the entertainment world. She is famous for creating the Red Nation Television Network and the Red Nation International Film Festival. These platforms help share Native American stories with the world.

Romero's important film, American Holocaust: When It’s All Over I’ll Still Be Indian, was even considered for an Academy Award. In 2007, the National Women's History Project honored her for her amazing work during Women's History Month.

Personal Life and Background

Joanelle Romero was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1957. Her mother, Rita Rogers, was also an actress. Romero grew up in Los Angeles, California. She has a rich family history with Spanish-Sephardic and Native American roots, including Mescalero-Chiricahua Apache, Dinétah, and Paiute heritage.

Career Highlights

Romero has had a long and successful career as an actress and filmmaker. She has worked to make sure Native Americans are seen and heard in movies and television.

Creating Opportunities for Native Voices

In 1991, Romero started a company called Spirit World Productions. She created it because she saw that there were not enough roles or opportunities for Native American people in Hollywood.

Later, in 1995, she founded a non-profit group called the Red Nation Celebration Institute (RNCI). Through this organization, she started the first Native American Heritage Month in Los Angeles in 2005. This earned her the nickname "The First Lady" of American Indian Heritage Month. For her work, she received the Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award, which is given to people who have the courage to speak the truth.

Since 2016, Romero has been a member of the American Film Academy, the group that gives out the Academy Awards.

Important Films and Roles

As a filmmaker, Romero is best known for her short documentary American Holocaust: When It’s All Over I’ll Still Be Indian. The film, with narration by actor Ed Asner, explores the difficult history of Native Americans in the United States. Romero directed, produced, wrote, and even composed the music for the film.

As an actress, Romero has appeared in many movies and TV shows. Some of her well-known roles include:

• Hatter Fox in the TV movie The Girl Called Hatter Fox (1977)
• Bo in the movie Parasite (1982)
• Bonnie Red Bow in the popular film Powwow Highway (1989)
• Alice Chee in an episode of Murder, She Wrote (1992)

She also provided the voice for the character Anna Elk Moon in the 1996 video game Santa Fe Mysteries: The Elk Moon Murder.