DURANGO, Colo.— Emmy®-nominated, acclaimed Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, recipient of the 2026 Peabody Trailblazer Award, will be the keynote speaker address at Fort Lewis College’s Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 2.
A member of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and a Muscogee descendant, Harjo is widely recognized for his groundbreaking contributions to television and Indigenous representation. His credits include The Lowdown (2025), Rez Ball (2024), Reservation Dogs (2021–2023), and Mekko (2015).
Harjo received the 2026 Peabody Trailblazer Award “for expanding the possibilities of television storytelling while centering Indigenous voices with originality, humanity, and purpose.”
In recognizing his work, the Peabody organization emphasized that storytelling rooted in specific places and communities “has the same universal appeal as any formulaic procedural, but exponentially more heart.
“America where some viewers might not have spent time, but a reminder, often political, and always thoughtful, of how much we deprive ourselves when we ignore other lived experiences,” they said. “Harjo is doing so by widening the opportunities in television available to the native community and building a network of recurring indigenous collaborators.”
Set in Tulsa, The Lowdown is a crime comedy-drama that follows Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), a self-styled “truthstorian” who runs a rare bookstore by day and moonlights as a relentless citizen journalist by night.
“The Lowdown is a story about journalism, history, truth, and the attacks on all those institutions in our recent times, but it’s also about the power one person has to make a difference,” Peabody said. “That’s a timely and timeless message, and one that Harjo has beautifully centered within his work.”
Harjo’s films have premiered at major festivals including Sundance, the Toronto International Film Festival, Hot Docs, and the Los Angeles Film Festival. In addition to his film and television work, Harjo is a founding member of the Native sketch comedy troupe The 1491s.
“Sterlin Harjo’s work as a storyteller speaks powerfully to identity, community, resilience, and the complicated transitions into adulthood, experiences our graduates know well,” said FLC President Heather Shotton. “We’re beyond excited to welcome someone who is deeply committed to telling Indigenous stories with authenticity and humor, and who has helped bring Native narratives to the foreground.”
Spring 2026 Commencement details
Fort Lewis College’s Spring 2026 Commencement Ceremony will take place Saturday, May 2, at Ray Dennison Memorial Field. The ceremony will begin at 9 am, with doors opening to guests at 7:30 am. Graduates will robe and line up at 8 am in the Student Life Center.