This campaign began with exhaustion. In 2020, amid Covid and all the riots going on in Portland, I was asked by David Kennedy to write an agency-wide email for Indigenous Peoples’ Day. I was tired of being asked to educate, to explain, to remind people that Native people still exist. I didn’t want to write a statement. I wanted to tell the truth.

So I wrote a poem. That poem became the foundation for the This Is Indian Country anthem spot, a bold, emotional declaration of Indigenous presence, power, and refusal to be erased. It would also go on to serve as the manifesto for an entire campaign.

Inspired by the rhythm of old Burma-Shave signs and my fascination with Americana, I originally toyed with “Welcome to Indian Country,” a play on roadside tourism. But it didn’t feel right. The next morning, Kennedy called and asked, “What do you really want to say?” The answer was simple: This is Indian Country.

This is the campaign I’m most proud of. It carries my voice, my experience, and my heart. It didn’t just reclaim space—it made it sacred again.