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- By Native News Online Staff
LAS VEGAS — Attendees of the Reservation Economic Summit (RES 2021) in July will be treated to a keynote address by Academy Award winner Wes Studi (Cherokee). The National Center for American Indian Enterprise (The National Center) announced Studi will be its keynote speaker during a fireside chat during a general session.
The National Center will hold RES 2021 in Las Vegas, Nev. at the Paris Las Vegas Hotel & Casino on July 19 – 21. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The National Center moved its annual economic conference from March to July. This year’s theme is “Forward "Forward with Resiliency and Reinvention."
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Last year November, Studi was named to The New York Times’ prestigious “25 Greatest Actors of the 21st Century (So Far)” list.
Studi, who grew up in Tahlequah, Okla., is known for his portrayal of Native Americans in a way that forever shattered age-old stereotypes in the movie industry. Breaking new ground, he brought fully developed Native American characters to the screen, and then took it a step further by highlighting the success of Native Americans in non-traditional roles.
Throughout his 30-plus-year career he’s won numerous awards, including several First Americans in the Arts awards and the 2009 Santa Fe Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award.
In October 2019, Studi became the first American Indian actor to receive an Academy Honorary Award at the annual Governors Awards in Los Angeles.
CLICK to register to attend RES 2021.
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