Walker Independence's Justin Johnson Cortez Discusses How Fans Can Be Native Allies

When we asked Justin Johnson Cortez how TV shows like "Walker Independence" help spread awareness about the historical realities of Native populations, he said, "[It's] the fact that they're trying their best to be realistic and true. It may seem like a little story, even just a little part of this one season of the show, but it's trying to be as true as you can in every little moment that you get."

One story in particular that Cortez pitched himself revolves around his character's sister, Nascha, who went missing. Originally, she was meant to be a vision, but Cortez wanted to shed light on how many Native kids have gone missing with no recourse throughout history and even today. He added, "The fact that Nascha was taken as a kid — that's a powerful thing that people might think of as, 'That's a TV thing.' But that was real. Hopefully, people will connect those dots and see, 'Oh, this actually happened. Cultures were getting erased.'"