Leading the way: Abigail Echo-Hawk leading path toward proper Indigenous representation in 'The Invisible Shield'

Apr. 4—One must follow the data to get all the information.

But what happens when said data isn't complete?

This is one of the many questions that Abigail Echo-Hawk (Pawnee) is asking as the director of the Urban Indian Health Institute.

UIHI is leading the way in research and data for urban American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

Echo-Hawk says as a Public Health Authority and one of 12 Tribal Epidemiology Centers in the country — and the only one that serves Urban Indian Organizations nationwide — UIHI conducts research and evaluation, collects and analyzes data, and provides disease surveillance to strengthen the health of American Indian and Alaska Native communities.

"It's a privilege to be involved," Echo-Hawk says. "I'm an Indigenous storyteller and I was raised at the feet of my elders. We recorded information on the buffalo hides. These are the stories told to me by the community and we have always recorded numbers. Tribes have always gathered numbers and I found that when COVID hit, the numbers weren't representing those on Native lands. When the data was used, it created prejudice and stereotypes. We have to find another way because the way it's framed now is data genocide."

This is also the reason Echo-Hawk is featured in the second part of the documentary series, "The Invisible Shield." The episode, titled "Follow the Data," airs at 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. The series is also available to stream on the PBS app.

The four-part documentary reveals how the field of public health has saved countless lives in the U.S., protecting people from the constant threat of disease and increasing lifespans.

The series explores the hidden public health infrastructure that makes modern life possible.

It highlights the thousands of unsung heroes — physicians, nurses, scientists, activists, reformers, engineers and government officials — who work together to improve health outcomes, from the days of cholera and smallpox through the most recent battle with COVID-19.

"On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, this series presents a candid and pragmatic look at public health, including the challenges and issues of the past that are still relevant and how far we've come," says Sylvia Bugg, chief programming executive and general manager, general audience programming at PBS. "We hope that, as healing is taking place post-pandemic, our audiences will walk away with an even deeper awareness of the function of public health and have greater hope for the future."

In the episode, "Follow the Data," it takes a look at how data has been an essential public health tool since at least the 17th century when cities began regularly recording mortality statistics. Data science has guided public health policy since the earliest practices of data collection in the 1800s to identify the spread of disease.

It continues to be critical to public health workers as they fight the COVID-19 pandemic. But with public health authority delegated to the 50 states, forming a national response to the virus proves difficult.

Echo-Hawk says during the pandemic, she watched many of her friends and family die around her.

That's when her team began gathering as much data as possible.

"We were out in the Native communities teaching people how to gather data correctly," she says. "We know this wasn't a system built for us. Most people don't know how we are eliminated in these systems."

Echo-Hawk says UIHI gave out 19 grants last year worth about $1.5 million that were given to rural tribes and urban Indian country for education.

Echo-Hawk says during the pandemic, she and the UIHI were working diligently to ensure that Native people were taken care of during the health crisis.

"Many Native tribes were being sent body bags instead of personal protective equipment (PPE) by the government," she says. "We were washing our scrubs in our own homes. When we were in the middle of the pandemic, the documentary team reached out and I felt there was an opportunity to tell our story. I want people to see our experiences and have them understand how Native people are still here and fighting for visibility."

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