Meet Ginny Underwood

We were lucky to catch up with Ginny Underwood recently and have shared our conversation below.

Ginny, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?

My resilience and ability to persevere is in my blood. I’m a descendent from the Comanche and Kiowa peoples. Like all Tribal people, my ancestors endured unimaginable hardships throughout history, yet they were able to find a way through it and to maintain their identities through culture and traditions. I’m blessed with parents and role models who demonstrated how to be diligent in my beliefs, who valued innovation and creativity, and taught me how to forge my own path to make a difference in the world.

As a child, I remember my dad, who worked in Indian Education, was at a career crossroads around 1980. I watched him work at our dining room table stuffing envelopes with letters that outlined a vision for a summer program geared toward gifted and talented Native American students. Nothing like it existed before. His definition of gifted was different than the norm. He included elements that took in the whole child including culture. I watched him create a space for Native American children to flourish as individuals; build a community for children who had the same skin color and cultural references; and to fill those children with positive examples and love that was life changing. I watched him make something out of nothing, built on his beliefs and passion. I was able to see what is possible when you believe in yourself and your vision. That’s a lesson that also fuels my ability to be resilient.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a communication consultant working with Indigenous communities to help elevate their voices and bring visibility to important issues facing our communities. I also like to shine a spotlight on the important contributions Indigenous peoples are making in the world today through multimedia storytelling.

Representation matters. I enjoy being able to tell stories, messages, imagery from an Indigenous perspective in a positive and empowering manner. I feel like I’m contributing to a narrative that shows our resiliency and contemporary contributions to our communities and beyond.

In the area of representation, I also serve as director of Rock The Native Vote, a non-partisan grassroots entity which works to register Native Americans to vote and informs communities about the election process. Our voices need to be heard and we need representation that cares about Indigenous issues. In Oklahoma, it’s hard to make Native Americans care about the political process because of our traumatic history. However, decisions are being made everyday that impact us and we need to have a say in those decisions.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Three qualities that were most impactful in my journey so far;

1. A sense of purpose to make a difference and an impact that improves the lives of Indigenous peoples;
2. A drive to make my community (parents, grandparents, ancestors) proud;
3. Strategic mindset; I have thrived on problem solving things before me and putting plans in place to be successful.

Advice:

Understand that people sacrificed a lot for you to be where you are today; don’t waste those sacrifices by being insecure or scared to thrive. Take chances and be bold on their behalf.

Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?

My husband and I met when we were young teenagers at a summer camp for gifted and talented Native American children. Through our entire relationship he has been supportive and an anchor for me. He always believed I could do anything I set my mind to and that helped me to step outside my comfort zone and challenge the status quo. He encouraged my risk taking and stood by me when I needed him. He helps me put things in perspective and isn’t afraid to hold me accountable either. We have shared cultural histories and he understands the obstacles I face as and Indigenous person and as a woman of color. Having him in my corner, knowing that he will have my back no matter what is really a freeing experience. I sometimes doubt or have insecurities but he’s there to challenge me and to stand with me if I’m too scared to take the steps on my own. I’m very lucky to have him in my life and I know I wouldn’t be the same person without him.

Image Credits

By Ginny Underwood
-man loading box in cart, this was a food shelter story I covered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
-photo of a young girl who would be leading children’s ministry at Clinton Indian Community Center in Clinton, Ok.
-photo of man praying, I took this photo of the Rev. Chebon Kernell in the forest near Atlanta. He is praying for community members fighting the development of “Cop City”.

By Keri Parks
-Native Voter, my sister took this photo of me before I presented to the crowd t the Summer Solstice event at FAM.

By Kimberly Rodriguez
-photo taken of me during the Summer Solstice at First Americans Museum.
-photo take of me in front of teepee at Indigenous Peoples Day at First Americans Museum.