Netflix, let’s get the facts straight about Ian Ousley’s (Sokka in the Avatar: The Last Airbender Live Action) Cherokee heritage.

“This was a chance to showcase Asian and Indigenous characters as living, breathing people. Not just in a cartoon, but in a world that truly exists, very similar to the one we live in.” - Albert Kim, showrunner of Netflix's Avatar: The Last Airbender

Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender is an incredibly precious opportunity to put underrepresented and marginalized voices at the forefront in the world of entertainment. The showrunners vowed a culturally accurate casting of all the principal characters and it seems that they delivered on that promise until various sources began alleging Ian Ousley, the actor portraying Sokka, may not be of Cherokee heritage despite his own claim.

In August, just a week after the actors of Aang, Katara, Sokka and Zuko were confirmed, Twitter user @bannockbumbitch called for the removal of Ian Ousley as Sokka for casting a white male for an indigenous role. The casting call was for "Native American" / "heritage Indigenous to North America".

On January 10, Twitter user @7genvoices confirmed that Ian Ousley is enrolled in a Tribe called Southern Cherokee Nation of Kentucky. This Tribe is on the Cherokee Nation list of fraudulent tribes.

"Any person who publicly identifies as Cherokee has initiated a public discussion about their identity.  It is appropriate to ask such persons to explain the verifiable basis upon which they are claiming a Cherokee identity.  If they cannot substantiate that they are a Cherokee citizen, they should be clearly and directly asked to cease identifying as Cherokee."

"Only individuals recognized as citizens of the Cherokee Nation, the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians should claim a Cherokee identity as part of their professional or personal identity, or otherwise assert a Cherokee identity to further their career or gain profit or professional advancement."

-Cherokee Scholars’ Statement on Sovereignty and Identity

As of January 22nd, 2022, neither Netflix nor Ian Ousley (and his agency) have made any comment denying or confirming the allegations regarding Ian’s claim of having Cherokee origins.

If it is indeed true that Ian is not of native ancestry, we believe that Netflix should have the integrity to be upfront about this fact as opposed to inaccurately claiming to be culturally and ethnically respectful of the original source material. In the end, we know that the hardworking cast and crew of the upcoming live-action project will produce a remarkable show. We just need the facts and truths to be transparent without performative sugarcoating.