Written By: Russell Sun Eagle(TULSA, Okla.) When heartbreak and exhaustion collided back in 2009, Justin McLemore never imagined an impulsive idea that came to him after three sleepless nights would still be growing 16 years later.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.crosswindsnews.net/laughter-and-healing-how-full-blood-productions-is-uniting-oklahoma-one-show-at-a-time/">Read this story on Crosswinds News here.</a>McLemore was working overnight shifts at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, coping with the end of a marriage.  One early morning after finishing another long shift at work, he drove to Muskogee and made himself a black hoodie that read “Full Blood.” It wasn’t meant to start a business. It was a reminder to keep going.“I was hurting,” McLemore said. “But that hoodie made me feel proud again. It reminded me I was still here, still full blood, still fighting.”That spark turned into Full Blood Clothing LLC, then grew into something even bigger: Full Blood Productions, a Native-owned entertainment company blending fashion, film, and stand-up comedy.Today, the name that started on a hoodie has become a statewide movement of laughter and community connection.McLemore said the phrase “Full Blood” was never just about heritage; it was about commitment.“Full means you’re fully devoted to something positive,” McLemore said. “Your family, your work, your recovery, your dream. Blood represents the sweat and tears it takes to get there. Anybody can wear it.” Over the years, Full Blood has appeared everywhere from powwows to wrestling shows, from Cherokee Nation events to statewide festivals. The brand has sponsored MMA fighters, musicians, and traditional artists - all carrying the same message of perseverance.After COVID-19 halted events and sales, McLemore searched for a new way to bring people together. The answer came in the form of stand-up comedy.“The world felt heavy,” McLemore said. “People needed to laugh again.”So, in 2023, McLemore launched Rezzy Jams Comedy under the Full Blood Productions banner. The first show, The Quah Laughs, took place in Tahlequah and drew a crowd of more than 250 people. It featured a lineup of Native comedians, including Jordan Jayi, Rachel Rose, Will Buck and Brent Deo.The laughter didn’t stop there. Rezzy Jams has since expanded across the state, hosting shows in Ada, Tulsa, Glenpool, Okmulgee, and Kansas that mix humor with community service and charity. “It’s not about making money,” McLemore said. “It’s about giving back and creating joy in our communities.”One of the brightest voices to come out of the Rezzy Jams stage is Jordan Jayi, a comedian from Cromwell, Oklahoma, who’s been part of every Full Blood comedy show since the beginning.Jayi’s path to the stage started in 2020 during the pandemic. Her high school basketball coach, Carol Johnson, called her unexpectedly one day and told her she should try stand-up comedy.“She just said it straight up! You need to do comedy,’” Jayi recalled. “At first I laughed, but then I thought, maybe she’s right.”Jayi started performing over Zoom, testing jokes in front of an online audience. Her first live performance came a year later at a burlesque show, a night she describes as “sexy and funny at the same time.” Since then, she’s been performing across Oklahoma with Full Blood Productions.“Oklahoma crowds get our humor,” Jayi said. “They understand our families, our rez stories, our slang. It's special performing for people who truly get it.”For Jayi, laughter has always been healing. Raised between Eufaula Boarding School and Sequoyah High School, she grew up surrounded by humor, even in hard times.“Native people have this strength where we can laugh through pain,” she said. “Humor is how we survive. It’s how we remind ourselves that we are still here.”That message has become a staple of the Rezzy Jams showcases. Each event blends humor with hope, proving that laughter can be both art and medicine.As Full Blood Productions continues to expand its comedy circuit, McLemore has already launched the Elks Lodge Tour. The tour, which runs through 2026, will bring stand-up comedy to communities across Oklahoma, with each stop hosted by local Elks Lodge establishments.The Elks Lodge tour kicked off on Oct. 4 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. With a packed audience, positive reviews, and fans already asking for more, the Elks Lodge Comedy Tour is quickly gaining traction among followers of Full Blood Productions and Rezzy Jams Comedy.McLemore has also been preparing for a new chapter with another Indigenous-focused initiative, the Black Fox Premiere, a Native film showcase that debuted Oct. 19 at Tulsa’s Circle Cinema. The event featured films by Oklahoma filmmakers, including The Legend of Rudy Mill, directed by Whitebird Robertson; Ultraviolet, directed by Justin Jayne; Siren of the Wood, directed by Christopher Coursey; and Rez Cops, directed by Will Buck, Cedric Sweet and Eric Yahola. “There’s so much Native talent out there,” McLemore said. “We want to create a platform where they can be seen and celebrated.”Following the premiere, Full Blood Productions will continue its comedy series on Nov. 7 (at the College of the Muscogee Nation in Okmulgee at 7 pm) and Nov. 8 (at the Renaissance Square Event Center at 7:30 pm). The shows are headlined by comedian Marc Yaffee and will feature comedians Jayi and Deo. The Nov. 8 show will also feature Katy Style.What began as one man’s moment of grief has evolved into a cultural movement, one that celebrates Native creativity, unity and joy.“We’ve all been through pain,” McLemore said. “But laughter brings us back together. That’s what Full Blood is all about. Healing, pride and connection.”For Jayi, the mission goes even deeper.“I want to make people laugh, but I also want to tell stories that help people heal,” she said. “One day, I’m going to write a show about our people, and I already know it’s going to happen.”In her time on stage, audiences find courage. In her words, they find home. And in every show, Jordan Jayi carries the same message that helped start this movement: Be proud, be bold, and live full blood.

United States of America

Oklahoma

Laughter and healing: How Full Blood Productions is uniting Oklahoma one show at a time

Crosswinds News

This story is part of Crosswind News’ “Returning to Balance” Solutions Journalism Series. Using a solutions journalism approach, these stories highlight Indigenous led, culturally informed strategies to address challenges that disproportionately affect Native communities. "Returning to Balance" aims to inspire leaders, health organizations, and community members to consider new, community-grounded pathways for change. Our team spoke with people who are transforming their communities through culturally rooted solutions. At Crosswinds News, we believe Indigenous communities should not be defined by the problems they face. Instead, they should be recognized and supported for the positive change they create, honoring their culture and their wisdom.These stories are made possible in part through the support of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nativeokinsurance.com/vnn?ref=crosswindsnews.net">Native Oklahoma Insurance.</a>Written By: Rachael Schuit(NATIONAL) Addressing domestic violence in Native communities isn’t just about helping the survivors, it’s about working to prevent further abuse. <a target="_blank" href="https://app.verifiednews.network/articles/healing-perpetrators-reversing-native-violence-tied-to-impacts-of-colonization">Read this story on Crosswinds News here.</a>Solving the problem also means understanding the impacts of colonization and forced assimilation that have contributed to violence across Indian Country. “I would say that we know that violence looks different in Native communities than it does in other communities as a result of colonization,” said Lauren Pitcher, the Urban Technical Assistance coordinator for Red-Wind Consulting. “We see this sort of power and control that's really sort of transgressed into violence over the years in our own communities. We weren't a violent people to begin with, that came with colonization.”Gene Red Hail, the former Domestic Violence Coordinator for the Oneida Nation, has spent the last three decades working with offenders to address domestic violence. Red Hail (Oneida and Lakota) says his past as a former abuser helps him address other abusers in an effort to stop the cycle. "When you speak of something that men don't speak about, the violence they perpetrate in their relationship with the one they love, I say, come on now, this is the one you love,” said Red Hail. “To talk about it, that's the first step, admit (it), that's the second step.” He now serves as a consultant for Red Wind Consulting, a Native-owned and led organization that addresses domestic violence in a culturally-centered way. “They see it. It's passed down from generation to generation, but that's not okay,” said Elizabeth Rice, the National Training and Technical Assistance Director for Red-Wind Consulting. Breaking that cycle begins with healing the perpetrators. “I know the trauma, I know the expectations that are put on men to be men,” said Red Hail. “I know why men put that mask on, that hard look, cause that's their protection. I've been able to get through that mask with a lot of men and share our stories, because my story is almost the same as theirs.”Red Hail calls his approach to working with perpetrators of domestic violence “Reclaiming Your Honor.”"The road to healing is through us men, that we have to heal ourselves,” said Red Hail. During his two decades working for the Oneida Nation, Red Hail worked with men who had been referred to him by the court system after being convicted of Domestic Violence. Red Hail worked with the men in a 25-week Batterers Intervention style program, with Native values incorporated. The men also had the opportunity to participate in sweat lodge ceremonies as part of the program if they wanted to.Red Hail says the program led to a low recidivism rate for men who completed it. 60 percent of the men who went through the program have not been convicted of a domestic violence related crime again. And men in the program still approach him in the Green Bay area. “Whenever I see men in the community, (it’s hey Gene how are you doing, I'm doing good,” said Red Hail. “The first thing they're gonna tell me is they're doing good. How many men represent that, that men would come up to you and tell you that they're doing good. I really appreciate what you taught. That really makes a lot of sense.”While Red Hail saw success and change in the men he worked with he says funding these types of programs can be challenging. “The reality in Indian Country, there’s a great need for men’s programming,” said Red Hail. “The only funding out there is through the Office of Violence Against Women.”Through his work with men, Red Hail says he sees the men as relatives and strives to teach Native values they can carry with them, in hopes that the cycle of domestic violence in Indian Country will decrease. “I initially tell them we live with these values of respect,” said Red Hail. “We live with these values of humility and love and compassion. I say, the world they come from, those words mean you’re weak. But I’m trying to teach them these words mean strength and we can learn that from our women.”

Healing Perpetrators: Reversing Native violence tied to impacts of colonization

This story is part of Crosswind News’ “Returning to Balance” Solutions Journalism Series. Using a solutions journalism approach, these stories highlight Indigenous led, culturally informed strategies to address challenges that disproportionately affect Native communities. "Returning to Balance" aims to inspire leaders, health organizations, and community members to consider new, community-grounded pathways for change. Our team spoke with people who are transforming their communities through culturally rooted solutions. At Crosswinds News, we believe Indigenous communities should not be defined by the problems they face. Instead, they should be recognized and supported for the positive change they create, honoring their culture and their wisdom.These stories are made possible in part through the support of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nativeokinsurance.com/vnn?ref=crosswindsnews.net">Native Oklahoma Insurance.</a>Written By: Rachael Schuit(NATIONAL) “We’re treating our survivors as relatives,” said Lauren Pitcher, the Urban Technical Assistance coordinator for RedWind Consulting. “They are our sisters, our mothers, our aunts. Those are our values.”<a target="_blank" href="https://www.crosswindsnews.net/advocates-centering-culture-to-address-domestic-violence-in-native-communities/">Read this story on Crosswinds News here.</a>When it comes to addressing domestic violence and sexual assault in Indian Country, RedWind Consulting, a Native-owned organization takes a different approach compared to mainstream organizations. At RedWind Consulting, it’s not just about getting survivors out of bad situations, but about helping them return to their Indigenous identity so they can heal the trauma they have experienced and move forward. “When we talk to other advocates, we're talking about how they can involve their culture, or they can involve their use of medicines,” said Elizabeth Rice, the National Training and Technical Assistance Director for RedWind Consulting. Rice says that in its training programs, RedWind Consulting emphasizes the importance of encouraging each tribe’s specific culture and traditions when addressing the issues of domestic and sexual violence in Indian Country.She's also walked survivors through traditional cultural methods to heal.“We can take this tobacco, we can go out and we can use it at our, we have a spirit pole outside of our office, and we could go out there and we could pray,” Rice said.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.crosswindsnews.net/advocates-centering-culture-to-address-domestic-violence-in-native-communities/#/portal/signup">Support Native-owned, Native-focused news. Subscribe to Crosswinds News today.</a>The cultural approach is an avenue for reconnecting a survivor with their identity, often lost in the cycle of abuse.“It really brings a sense of wholeness that can't always be found in standard methods of advocacy,” said Pitcher. “Understanding those differences, like the importance of your children, the importance of your medicines, how your ancestors play into your day-to-day life, can really bring someone back to a state of restoration.That can really be more healing than just approaching the problem as a whole, managing just a case.”Academic research backs up the need for providers working with Indigenous domestic violence survivors to be culturally informed. An article published on the National Library of Medicine website titled, <a target="_blank" href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9779508/?ref=crosswindsnews.net">“Indigenous Cultural Safety in Recognizing and Responding to Family Violence: A Systematic Scoping Review”</a> is an example. According to studies cited in the article, Indigenous people who had experienced domestic violence stated they felt safer and more understood when the provider was able to center Indigenous culture and experiences at the forefront of their approach. Because Indigenous communities can be small, it’s not always possible for a survivor to avoid the person who abused them. So RedWind Consulting also emphasizes the importance of teaching survivors how to stay safe. “Helping to safety plan with our victims, we’ve got to help them to keep themselves safe, because they are going to run into them,” said Rice.The training RedWind Consulting has done in Native communities around the country, built on a foundation that all victims are relatives, has had a lasting impact for many attendees.One of those people is Boyd Billman, a police officer working in Victim Services for the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Tribal Police Department. “I really appreciated how RedWind laid out why we advocate for victims, survivors, and advanced to how we respond appropriately, and recognizing cultural values in a response to victim survivors,” said Billman. The training Billman attended inspired him to become more victim-centered when responding to domestic violence calls. One of the biggest changes: the vehicle used when helping a victim leave a situation. “It has our crisis line on the backside and there's no exterior lights,” said Billman. “There's no light bar on the top. There's no push bar. So just trying to create that friendly approach just by pure visual aspects. Also in the backseat; it's just a normal backseat. There's no cage.”Billman says people have taken notice of the new approach when he shows up to a call. “Elated might be the wrong word, but the person felt more comfortable going with me in my car because I didn't have that backseat,” said Billman reflecting on a recent call he responded to.“Sexual assault victims, domestic violence victims, they really appreciated being able to sit down in a comfortable space. And I keep things in my car provided by our victim services. Everything from fidget toys to aromatherapy putty they call it and just something to distract that victim survivor from what just happened.”Rice says moving away from mainstream approaches to addressing these problems has garnered positive feedback from people RedWind Consulting has worked with. “We get a lot of good feedback,” said Rice. “I know when I've done site visits it's been super helpful to them, and they appreciate the time that we take to sit down with them.”But, Billman says, a small community does pose additional challenges when addressing domestic violence. “Intimacy of our Native community here on the Fond du Lac Band reservation sometimes increases the reluctance to report crimes,” said Billman. “And I think that that is something that is seen across other communities, if that’s something that we’re experiencing here.”

Advocates centering culture to address domestic violence in Native communities

By Crosswinds News Staff(TVLSE, Okla.) A new season has arrived for Verified News Network (VNN).After seven years of steady innovation and collaboration, the Native-owned, independent media organization VNN is embracing a powerful transformation, carried by the winds of change and guided by the same values that have grounded it since the beginning.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.crosswindsnews.net/verified-news-network-announces-major-rebrand/">Read this story on Crosswinds News here.</a>This evolution marks the official rebrand of VNN into a “Talking Circle”, of which the VNN app will now fall under. Developed in 2018, <a target="_blank" href="https://app.verifiednews.network/">the VNN app</a> was a first-of-its-kind social news media platform. Social news media lovers will still be able to access news through the VNN news feed, as well as upload stories and interact with other collaborators. Under this new structure, the local newsroom formerly known as VNN Oklahoma will now carry the name Crosswinds News, still primarily Native-focused and Native-staffed, with multimedia journalists, community members, cultural advisors, and mission-aligned organizations leading the work. Its mission is to carry stories from Oklahoma’s 39 tribes, connecting Native families and allies from the heart of Indian Country.“This rebrand is about honoring where we’ve been, acknowledging what we’ve become and creating space for what we’re becoming,” said Crosswinds News President and CEO Kelly Tidwell (Muscogee and Cherokee). “Talking Circle represents connection and relationship. Crosswinds represents culture, movement, and community. Together, they express everything our work has evolved into, as well as the very important work still to come.”Crosswinds News will continue to be sustained in part through Talking Circle Solutions, formerly VNN Media Services, which provides paid marketing, education, consulting, and development services.Community members will also have new ways to support the work of Crosswinds News, such as individuals having the opportunity to become paid subscribers and businesses and organizations having the opportunity to advertise on Crosswinds channels. Current paid subscribers and advertisers of VNN will be transitioned to Crosswinds News in the coming days.“We have a lot of exciting things in the works,” said Crosswinds News Operations Manager and Senior Journalist Brittany Harlow. “They couldn’t be done without the community supporters and partners that have worked with us over the past several years. And they won’t reach their full potential without community and other ally support moving forward.” To learn more about Crosswinds News, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.crosswindsnews.net/about/">click here</a>.To learn more about Talking Circle, <a target="_blank" href="https://talkingcircle.us/about/">click here</a>.

Crosswinds News

Laughter and healing: How Full Blood Productions is uniting Oklahoma one show at a time

Healing Perpetrators: Reversing Native violence tied to impacts of colonization

Advocates centering culture to address domestic violence in Native communities

Verified News Network Announces Major Rebrand