The
“100 Years: One Woman's Fight for Justice” Interview
with
Kam Williams
Melinda's
Native Agenda!
Upon
graduating cum laude from Emerson College, Melinda Janko founded
Turning Point Productions, a company that specializes in producing
promotional videos for the non-profit sector. In 2003, she relocated
to Southern California where she formed Fire in the Belly Productions
after learning about Elouise Cobell's lawsuit over the mismanaged
Indian Trust Fund.
Outraged
by the injustice, she vowed to bring the story to the world. She
spent the next two years researching and building relationships of
trust with Native American leaders, and was eventually granted
exclusive permission to crisscross the country with Elouise.
Filming
of 100 Years: One Woman's Fight for
Justice began in Washington, D.C. and took place on tribal
lands in many states. Melinda gained access to previously
tight-lipped, high-level officials of the Department of the Interior,
and to U.S. senators, congressmen, the judge presiding over the case
and the lead attorney, and a number of Native American beneficiaries
of the Indian Trust Fund.
In
March of 2018, she was recognized by the PBS “Shatter the Lens”
campaign celebrating women “in front of and behind the lens” in
honor of Women’s History Month. Earlier this year, Melinda also
received the Outstanding Achievement Humanitarian Award from the
Indie Fest Film Awards.
Here,
she talks about the making of 100
Years: One Woman's Fight for Justice,
NOW
ON NETFLIX.
Melinda Janko and Elouise Cobell
Kam
Williams: Hi
Melinda, thanks for the interview.
Melinda
Janko:
Thank
you Kam, it’s my pleasure.
KW:
How did you become aware of Elouise
Cobell?
MJ:
In
2002, I read a story in Mother Jones magazine about the broken Indian
Trust and Elouise Cobell’s fight for justice.
KW:
What
inspired you to turn her story into a movie?
MJ:
I
was so outraged by the injustice that I vowed to bring her story to
the world. I thought, if the United States government can treat a
minority of people this way, then how safe are the rest of us?
KW:
Her
fight with the government lasted 30 years. How did you go about
telling that story in less than two hours?
MJ:
Very
carefully. I realized that her story was long and dealt with a very
complicated lawsuit. It was a huge challenge. At first, I set out to
tell it as an advocacy piece. But I never imagined that Elouise would
win. That was before I met her. After following her for many years
and hearing her say,“the stars are aligned for justice for Indian
people,” I just knew in my gut that she would overcome. So, as we
were waiting for more funding, the story was unfolding, and it came
to pass. In the end, we came full circle. It was a long 14-year wait,
but it became a stronger story because of the wait. Also, I had an
incredible team behind me to collaborate on such a complicated story,
which took over 2 years in post-production.
KW:
Was it
hard balancing between the exploitation of Native-Americans and
Elouise's dedication to her people's cause?
MJ:
No,
I always felt that this story was about contrast. It was about the
power of big government versus the powerlessness of the people. And I
was very lucky to have Elouise Cobell as my main character to drive
the story. It was extremely hard seeing the exploitation of Native
people, and there were many moments after filming when I had to step
aside to pull myself together. That’s what I wanted the audience to
feel, their pain and her resolve.
KW:
Why do
you think the U.S. government got away with breaking treaty after
treaty after treaty for so many generations?
MJ:
Because
it's not merely above the law... it IS the law! I don’t believe
there was any treaty it really intended to keep.
KW:
How was
Elouise able to succeed in her class action lawsuit?
MJ:
Pure
grit and determination! She was tough as nails and would not back
down. She came from a long line of very strong warriors in her family
and was also motivated by what occurred at Ghost Ridge in the winter
of 1894 when 600 Blackfeet Indians starved to death because of a
shortage of government food rations. She was very much fighting for
them.
KW:
Native-Americans
continue to languish on reservations where they lag behind virtually
all other ethnic groups in terms of education, income and housing.
What do you see as the solution for their plight?
MJ:
I
feel very strongly that, if the United States government adequately
provided for housing, education and healthcare as promised through
the treaties, they would be much better off. But because they have to
fight for everything they get, it perpetuates a vicious cycle of
grinding poverty. There’s a joke in Indian country that if you’re
going to get sick or need an operation, you better do it before June,
because the funds will run out after that. Not too funny to me, but
the Native people are resilient and laugh more than any people I
know.
KW:
What
message do you want people to take away from 100 Years?
MJ:
I want
people to be inspired by Elouise Cobell’s story. If an indigenous
woman from a poverty-stricken tribe can face down the most powerful
government in the world and win, then there are no excuses for any of
us. Her story is about the power of one.
KW:
This
was your first feature-length film. Are you already working on
another?
MJ:
I am
in the research stages of another crisis in Indian country, namely,
all the missing and murdered Native women.
KW:
What
was the last book you read?
MJ:
"Yellow
Dirt." It is the tragic story about how uranium mining poisoned
the lands of the Navajo.
KW:
Ling-Ju Yen asks: What
is your earliest childhood memory?
MJ:
My
earliest childhood memories are of playing with my cousins and
visiting with my grandparents in Ohio. And the trauma of being pulled
out of my first grade class to say goodbye to my teacher, cousins and
grandparents because my family was moving to Miami, Florida, where we
had no family.
KW:
I'm
sorry you went through that. Was there a meaningful spiritual
component to your childhood?
MJ:
Yes
I come from what I call “generational faith,” 9 generations of
Christians who believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
KW:
Amen, sister! What is your favorite dish to cook?
MJ:
Brownies
and Key lime pie!
KW:
Sherry
Gillam would like to know what is the most important life lesson
you've learned so far?
MJ:
That
everything that has happened to me in life, good or bad, has made me
who I am today. I should celebrate them all.
KW:
When
you look in the mirror, what do you see?
MJ:
An
overcomer!
KW:
What's
the craziest thing you've ever done?
MJ:
Expose
the U. S. government.
KW:
If you
could have one wish instantly granted, what would that be for?
MJ:
For
there to be no more suffering in the world.
KW:
Is there any question no one ever asks you, that you wish someone
would?
MJ:
Yes.
What made you think you could take on such a big story having never
done a feature-length documentary? I felt it was my calling. Just as
it was Elouise’s calling to file the lawsuit, and Judge Lamberth’s
calling to preside over it, it was my calling to expose it through
the power of film. I knew that if I had God on my side I could do
anything!
KW:
Judyth
Piazza asks: What key quality do you believe all successful people
share?
MJ:
The
4 P’s: Passion, Persistence, Patience, and Perseverance.
KW:
Finally,
Samuel L. Jackson asks: What’s in your wallet?
MJ:
Not
much... I’m an independent doc filmmaker. [Laughs]
KW:
Thanks
again for the time, Melinda, and best of luck with all your
endeavors.
MJ:
Thank
you, Kam for recognizing the importance of 100 Years: One Woman’s
Fight for Justice.
