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MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Bloomington to Host Free Screening of “The People's Protectors,” Honoring Native American Veterans and Their Stories
The November 13 screening of filmmaker Leya Hale's documentary will explore the experiences of Indigenous Vietnam War veterans, followed by a discussion with the director and veteran Sandy White Hawk.
BLOOMINGTON, MN (November 13, 2026).
The City of Bloomington is scheduled to host a free public screening Friday evening of The People's Protectors, a documentary examining the experiences of Native American veterans who served during the Vietnam War.
The screening will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Schneider Theater, 1800 West Old Shakopee Road.
The film, directed by Dakota and Diné filmmaker Leya Hale, features Native American veterans reflecting on their military service, cultural identities and the complex relationship between Indigenous communities and the United States government.
The program is open to all ages, and advance registration is not required.
Following the screening, Hale and veteran Sandy White Hawk are scheduled to participate in a question-and-answer discussion.
Stories of Service and Identity
The documentary features Marine Corps, Navy and Army veterans Valerie Barber, Art Owen, Sandy White Hawk and Vince Beyl.
Through their experiences, the film explores military service alongside questions of identity, community responsibility and historical relationships between tribal nations and the federal government.
For Native American veterans, military service can carry particular historical complexity.
Indigenous people have served in the United States armed forces across generations, even as tribal communities have experienced dispossession, broken treaties and federal policies that undermined their sovereignty.
The film provides an opportunity to examine those experiences through the voices of people who lived them.
Rather than reducing veterans to statistics or symbols, documentary storytelling allows individuals to describe the circumstances surrounding their service and the meanings they attach to it.
A Conversation With the Filmmaker
The scheduled discussion with Hale and White Hawk will allow audience members to explore the documentary's themes beyond the screening itself.
Hale's work as a filmmaker centers Indigenous stories and perspectives.
The conversation is expected to address the film and the experiences represented in it.
For attendees, the discussion offers an opportunity to hear directly from the filmmaker and one of the veterans featured in the documentary.
Closing Bloomington's Indigenous Film Series
The screening concludes Bloomington's 2026 Indigenous film series.
The series is presented by the Bloomington Human Rights Commission and the city's Parks and Recreation Department in partnership with Bloomington Public Schools' American Indian Education Program.
That collaboration connects municipal government, education and cultural programming.
It also reflects the role local institutions can play in creating opportunities for residents to encounter stories that may receive limited attention in conventional public-history presentations.
The event follows Veterans Day on November 11 and takes place during Native American Heritage Month.
Those two observances provide a meaningful context for examining Indigenous military service.
THE TAKEAWAY
The People's Protectors offers Bloomington residents an opportunity to learn about Native American veterans through firsthand accounts and documentary filmmaking.
Friday's free screening and discussion bring together military history, Indigenous perspectives and public education.
The event also demonstrates how local cultural programming can encourage deeper understanding of histories that extend beyond familiar national narratives.
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