Larry Smith

Larry Smith (Lumbee Nation) serves as a Part-Time Lecturer in the Department of Cinematic Arts, College of the Arts, California State University, Long Beach, teaching Alternative Media and Mass Media and Popular Culture. He concurrently pursues a PhD in Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Riverside, focusing on Indigenous Media and Policy.

Education:

• M.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies
• PhD in Ethnic Studies (in progress), University of California, Riverside
• Previous teaching: University of North Carolina at Pembroke (Mass Media and Communications), Mesa Community College (American Indian Studies), CSULB (American Indian Studies)

Smith's research critically examines Indigenous media sovereignty, Federal Indian and communication law, mass/new media dynamics, and decolonization methodologies. His work integrates Indigenous philosophies of sustainability with analyses of propaganda, censorship, and First/Fourth Cinema frameworks within U.S. media landscapes.

Awards:

• Special Recognition by the Bolivian government's La Prefectura del Departamento de La Paz (2007) for American Indian Airwaves

As co-host of Pacifica's/KPFK's American Indian Airwaves—the nation's longest-running Indigenous public affairs radio program—Smith has interviewed figures including Noam Chomsky, Jane Fonda, and Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask. He founded four non-profits, contributed photography to Gesellschaft für bedrohte Völker, and consulted on urban Indigenous film projects while maintaining active community engagement.