People vs. Fossil Fuels & Indigenous Peoples' Day
Hi, all.
...and we’re back to Monday again already! But today isn’t just another Monday to gripe and groan about; Today is Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
Though often ignored and/or under-acknowledged, Indigenous peoples around the world have long been at the forefront of environmental movements, including the climate movement.
To mark this day and to continue the fight against fossil fuels, Build Back Fossil Free organized a week-long demonstration in Washington, D.C. called People vs. Fossil Fuels. If you are near the D.C. area or able to travel there this week, you can sign up here. If you aren’t able to attend in person, I highly encourage you to keep track of what’s happening on their Twitter feed; It’s inspiring to see people taking a stand and coming together to demand change. And also be sure to sign the petition on the Build Back Fossil Free website!
On a more general note, if you don’t identify as an Indigenous person, one of the most important things you can do is to educate yourself about how to be an effective ally for Indigenous peoples. The organization IllumiNative has some incredible resources for everyone (Native and non-Native) about how to change the narrative about Indigenous peoples in their Indigenous Peoples’ Day Toolkit and their Insights and Action Guide.
Other resources worth checking out include:
Native Land Digital to learn about which Indigenous land(s) you may be living on or traveling through
“Native Land, Native Leadership: Restructuring the Climate Movement” by Mali Obomsawin
(Obomsawin is also a member of an absolute kick-ass band called Lula Wiles and you should definitely give their music a listen.)
That’s all for today, folks– til next week!