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Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt)

@bluecorncomics

Freelance writer focusing on Native American, racial, and pop-culture issues; publisher of Blue Corn Comics; host of Creative Spirit Screenwriters

 Los Angeles, California
facebook.com/bluecorncomics/
Joined June 2008
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  • Followers1.8K
2.9KMedia
Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)Photo by Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)
Shvndi Hlampkochi dreams of being a superhero--the traditional defender of the Choctaw Nation. But can she defend herself from punks and bullies while she waits for her abilities to kick in? Find out in this Blue Corn Comics adventure by Tvli Jacob and Kameron White (Choctaw)!
Image from Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)
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The winners include Elizabeth Ellis, Peewaalia/Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, a tribal scholar; Layli Long Soldier, an Oglala Lakota writer, visual artist, and educator; and Chip Thomas, an African-American and Lumbee physician/artist. ictnews.org/news/three-nativ…
Physician/artist Chip Thomas, African-American/Lumbee, known for his photographic murals on the Navajo Nation, was one of three Native people among the 20 named in 2026 to a MacArthur Fellowship, known as a “Genius Grant” with an $800,000 award. Credit: Courtesy of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

ALT Physician/artist Chip Thomas, African-American/Lumbee, known for his photographic murals on the Navajo Nation, was one of three Native people among the 20 named in 2026 to a MacArthur Fellowship, known as a “Genius Grant” with an $800,000 award. Credit: Courtesy of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

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"After years in Washington, she's returned to her home state, running for governor with promises to expand the social safety net, improve healthcare access in rural communities, and protect natural resources and sacred lands." theguardian.com/us-news/2026…
Deb Haaland in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2018. Photograph: Juan Labreche/AP Photo

ALT Deb Haaland in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2018. Photograph: Juan Labreche/AP Photo

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"On tribal lands across the country, swipe fees unfairly take away financial resources that are badly needed to provide essential local services. It's time for Congress to protect all Americans from these growing fees." merchantspaymentscoalition.c…
Image from Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)
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"It's not that Native voters are not trying to vote," said Megan Gall, co-author of the report. "It's not that Native voters aren't trying to register. It is that there are blocks in the system throughout the voting process that sort of chip away at that." ictnews.org/politics/study-v…
Volunteer Steven Marlin, left, helps a driver register to vote at a drive up location outside the Dallas County Elections Department in Dallas Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

ALT Volunteer Steven Marlin, left, helps a driver register to vote at a drive up location outside the Dallas County Elections Department in Dallas Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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KGW revealed that Medicine Wheel paid to fly in Native Americans for treatment, but it did not pay to help them return home after leaving the program. "Portland was being used as a dumping ground," the mayor said. "That is absolutely heart-wrenching." kgw.com/article/news/investi…
Six-figure raises, millions in Medicaid: Why city leaders believe Medicine Wheel is still 'dumping'...

Six-figure raises, millions in Medicaid: Why city leaders believe Medicine Wheel is still 'dumping'...

Records show executive pay soared as Medicine Wheel tapped into Medicaid while flying Native Americans in for treatment and discharging some to Portland streets.

kgw.com
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"If someone is a pet of society, they will always be a pet of society in the future, and that is why you have to change how you vote. Because the far left has always kept you a pet of society and dependent on the federal government." montanafreepress.org/2026/10…
Kyle Austin. Credit: Courtesy of Kyle Austin campaign

ALT Kyle Austin. Credit: Courtesy of Kyle Austin campaign

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Belonging to the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, Hawk spoke about the "Never Whistle at Night" anthology, collecting short horror stories by contemporary Native writers. Hawk is also the creator of the Native Horror Index. bgindependentmedia.org/in-th…
Shane Hawk speaks during BGSU's In the Round series at the Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre at the Wolfe Center for the Arts.

ALT Shane Hawk speaks during BGSU's In the Round series at the Thomas B. and Kathleen M. Donnell Theatre at the Wolfe Center for the Arts.

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"Medicine Ball is about more than basketball. It's about identity, belonging, and the ways Native young people carry history while creating their own paths forward," said Hale. redlakenationnews.com/story/…
Image from Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)
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"Many of these artists, I believe, have been underrepresented in museum collections and private collections, so one of the things we hope to do is raise more awareness of their creative contributions." spokesman.com/stories/2026/o…
Dan Friday’s Schaenewx (Salmon). (Courtesy of Ian Lewis and Blue Rain Gallery)

ALT Dan Friday’s Schaenewx (Salmon). (Courtesy of Ian Lewis and Blue Rain Gallery)

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Swiss immigrant and mill owner "Johann Sutter operated a ranch in the Mexican territory of Alta California where he enslaved Indigenous Nisenan and Miwok workers and trafficked women and children abducted during raids on Indigenous villages." progressive.org/latest/revis…
"The Rush."

ALT "The Rush."

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"The Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza gives us a wonderful stage to showcase our history, culture, and traditions with local neighbors and guests from around the world," Tribal Chairman Jeff L. Grubbe says. "Sharing our heritage keeps it alive." palmspringslife.com/the-guid…
Agua Caliente Cultural Museum.

ALT Agua Caliente Cultural Museum.

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Claybon is one of dozens of Fresno State students, community members, interns and faculty who meet Fridays to make traditional Native American shawls. "The Native Shawl Project: A Message of Hope" is led by Lakota elder Corky Mills. today.fresnostate.edu/thread…
Janel Claybon (left) and a workshop participant work on their shawls.

ALT Janel Claybon (left) and a workshop participant work on their shawls.

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A Mescalero Apache man incarcerated at the Centinela State Prison has filed a federal civil rights lawsuit saying Native inmates' personal religious items have been mishandled or confiscated and that sacred sweat lodge objects have been desecrated. ictnews.org/news/native-inma…
Robert Blalock, at center in the white hat sitting with the drum, said cultural events and sweat lodge ceremonies help incarcerated Native Americans get on the right road before reentering society. Blalock filed a civil rights lawsuit against the state of California in June 2026 saying inmates had been denied access to a drum and sweat lodge ceremonies at the Centinela State Prison. Credit: Photo courtesy of Somkit Glinin

ALT Robert Blalock, at center in the white hat sitting with the drum, said cultural events and sweat lodge ceremonies help incarcerated Native Americans get on the right road before reentering society. Blalock filed a civil rights lawsuit against the state of California in June 2026 saying inmates had been denied access to a drum and sweat lodge ceremonies at the Centinela State Prison. Credit: Photo courtesy of Somkit Glinin

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"Outrage sparked online two years ago when a Farmington High School official told a graduate to remove her cap, which was adorned with Native American beading. Now the woman is suing Farmington Municipal Schools." krqe.com/news/education/farm…
Image from Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)
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"I'm not running to make history, but it’s about damn time there was a Native woman serving in the Senate. And she might as well be from White Earth," Flanagan said. minnesotareformer.com/2026/1…
Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan addresses voters at a Senate campaign event on the White Earth reservation on Oct. 17, 2026. (Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer)

ALT Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan addresses voters at a Senate campaign event on the White Earth reservation on Oct. 17, 2026. (Photo by Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer)

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"During his 50-year career, Harrington amassed well over one million pages of notes on over 100 different Native languages. Descendants of these last speakers are now reviving their languages thanks to him and the elders who trusted him enough to speak." independent.com/2026/10/25/f…
Image from Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)
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"We did not run that boarding school, but we were so integrally involved that we own responsibility," said Kurt Cook, a historiographer at the Episcopal Diocese of Utah who worked on the film. "We were there, and we didn't stop it." usustatesman.com/why-do-good…
Image from Blue Corn Comics (Rob Schmidt) (@bluecorncomics)
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Committee members acknowledged that the change may not be popular with Nipmuc alums. "We have a lot of history with that name, but we have to change the concept of who we are," said someone. He likes the coyote, since it's "revered by the Nipmuc tribe." masslive.com/centralmass/202…
Nipmuc Regional High School's old logo.

ALT Nipmuc Regional High School's old logo.

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Judge Bree Black Horse took her seat in the Yakima County Superior Court this weekend, becoming the first Native to do so. Gov. Bob Ferguson appointed Black Horse in Sept. She brings more than 12 years of experience handling civil and criminal cases. nbcrightnow.com/news/yakima-…
Judge Bree Black Horse makes history on Yakima County bench.

ALT Judge Bree Black Horse makes history on Yakima County bench.

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"This year, the pool of Indigenous candidates has grown to a historic high, with at least 355 Native candidates running for office. Half of these candidates are women, 47 percent are men and 3 percent identify as trans, two-spirit or nonbinary." 19thnews.org/2026/10/montana…
At 26, Katie Fire Thunder, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is among a wave of Native women seeking political office in Montana. If she wins a full term in November, she could help the state reach a record number of Indigenous women serving in its legislature. (Lauren Miller for The 19th)

ALT At 26, Katie Fire Thunder, a member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, is among a wave of Native women seeking political office in Montana. If she wins a full term in November, she could help the state reach a record number of Indigenous women serving in its legislature. (Lauren Miller for The 19th)

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