Join Hoodwinked Collaborative, Pueblo Action Alliance, NM No False Solutions Coalition, Diné No Nukes, Pasifika Uprising and YUCCA in a conversation about youth climate organizing. Exclusively on IG Live!
Learn about the false climate solutions these orgs are fighting and how they support real solutions that center decolonial climate youth organizing & embody decolonial present and futures that center BIPOC youth organization, leadership and radical vision & imaginaries.
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yes hello hey everybody
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okay thank you so much
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oh good luck with the kid who ride
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have a wonderful time there I wish I
was there too I want to go on a canoe
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I know that sounds fun
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all right well I’m not seeing Leona just yet
um but for folks who um are just joining as
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viewers if you can just put your name pronouns
uh where you’re watching from which territories
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um and I think we’ll um I’ll take
a look out for um Leona uh but if
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um if I can I’m gonna just start the live by
introducing myself and the Hoodwink Collective
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um so my name is alejandria Lyons
the Coalition coordinator for New
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Mexico no-fault Solutions hopping on the
Hoodwinked um in the hot house IG today
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um the day you know this is um we’re trying
to one celebrate Earth week but EJ day Earth
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week every day um and we’re here with a
bunch of uh activists organizers individual
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um water and land protectors that
are working against false Solutions
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um and decolonial um organizing from
Youth and Indigenous perspectives
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um so just real quick the who are doing
collaborative is a coalition of climate Justice
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organizations activists dedicated to producing
popular education organizing resistance against
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false solutions to The Climate crisis in 2021
the collaborative published the groundbreaking
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educational Zine also known as Hoodwinked in the
hot house it was the same name as the Instagram
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handle Third Edition resist false solutions to
climate change presenting a stunning Illustrated
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componentium of the false corporate
promises that continue the Hoodwink
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elected officials the public protecting systems of
extractivism and colonialism while deferring the
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real solutions needed for climate change taking
perspectives from folks like we have today really
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um so over the last two years
the collaborative has printed
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um over 47 000 copies of Hoodwinked in
five different languages to distribute
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among Grassroots groups as well as the UNF Triple
C comprehensive party spaces produced an audiobook
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has hosted several widely known webinars and
widely attended so these efforts continue to
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widen the opposition to harmful corporate climate
schemes around the world to find more information
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or to listen to hoodwing or read it in whatever
language please visit climatefulsolutions.org
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so I think I saw Leona on that’s just the quick
bit about hoodwinks so thank you all for joining
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from all of your accounts um I’m gonna pass it
to Shaw to just briefly uh introduce yourself
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hi uh my name is I am micronesian Palawan um I
currently work as a director of digital strategy
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at digital Climate Coalition as well as being
the executive director at Pacifica uprising
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and I the work I do is education in
for Education information dissemination
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um getting the word out about where climate
Justice bodily autonomy and the colonial
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Futures all intersect and that’s often through
media animations podcasts short form videos
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um and also showing up at direct actions
because solidarity is not an esoteric or
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sort of abstract concept solidarity is just us
caring about one another and it’s one way for us
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to honor our ancestors is to show up in
solidarity for our fellow indigenous people
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and I will popcorn it over
to whoever wants to go next
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can you hear me yeah go ahead Leona hey so
so sorry I’m I’m late I’m new to Instagram
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I’m like an old lady here um because this is
only my second time using Instagram live and
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I’m really happy to be invited um to talk
about nuclear stuff so I’m in New Mexico
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um uh just for my relatives my dinner relatives
I’ll say my Clans real quickly um yeah
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um yeah so you’re
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apartment now and uh we’re in Albuquerque New
Mexico on Julia’s people’s land and um I’m dinner
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so my people are a couple hours to the west and um
I’ve been working a lot on uranium mining issues
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and now there’s a lot of push for new nuclear
because of this idea this false solution that it’s
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going to help with the climate crisis and we can
talk more about that later so thanks yeah foreign
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yeah thank you um good afternoon everyone um good
to see folks joining the live feed um my name is
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Julia Bernal I am from San Diego Pueblo um tiwa
speaking people um here in the middle row ground
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of New Mexico I’m the executive director for
Pueblo action Alliance and we are a Pueblo women
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Femme uh two-spirit-led organization um here
throughout the state of so-called New Mexico
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um we work a lot with our Pueblo communities on
climate Justice environmental justice economic and
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social justice issues that directly impacts our
communities and our homelands and our ancestral
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our ancestral sites and sacred places we
are um also really involved in youth youth
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and work and um you know just like being a
vehicle for our community members to access
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um uh information about things relating to um
environmental or natural resource planning um
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any sort of environmental justice issues that have
to pertain to extractivism or other false climate
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Solutions and so we’ve been doing this work for
over six years now as a as an organization an
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operating organization and are just really
happy to be collaborators with Hoodwinked in
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the hot house and um of course with all the
other organizers that are like on this call
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um I feel like just to Echo what Shaw is saying
around uh these I ideals of global solidarity
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um having an internationalist analysis on climate
initiatives and climate Solutions is like really
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important to our work um and it definitely
is a mechanism to help us build a lot more
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um unified stances against uh global
capitalism and other ways in which
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um you know the the one percent continue to
extract our resources and exploit our people
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so really happy to be here with you all today I’ll
pass it back to Ali thank you yeah thank you Julia
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um now I’m gonna invite our last speaker
Jonathan um from youth United for climate
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crisis action to join um I might have to
ask either Julia Shah one folks whatever
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yeah I’m not sure how to leave
I got it I guess I just okay
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awesome thank you so much uh awesome and really
happy to join all of you uh like Ollie just said
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my name is Jonathan Juarez Alonso I am 20
years old and I’m from the public of Laguna
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and Isleta I currently serve as the policy lead
for UT United for climate crisis action so Yucca
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is a youth-led organization we were founded
in 2019 and we were founded around you know
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just demands of our our elected officials to you
know keep fossil fuels in the ground and rapidly
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transition our economy to 100 Renewables and since
2019 we’ve been continuing that fight through
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various campaigns I think one of the most recent
has been you know our anti-hydrogen campaign
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um but yeah we have hundreds of members throughout
Northern and central New Mexico and it’s been
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really awesome to join this team I joined in 2021
but really awesome to join and build partnership
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you know really across the state I think that’s
something that we’ve been able to do uh that
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has just kind of congealed so so beautifully and
just come together in such a powerful way as young
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people you know from all sorts of communities
uh Pueblo and Danette communities as well
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um it’s just been you know awesome to be
a part of it and awesome to join you all
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this evening and excited to to share the
space um yeah I think I’m the last one and
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I I’ll go ahead and hop off so that
uh our other panelists can join back
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foreign
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our other guest is rejoining I just want
to share the book I got some in the mail so
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I’ll be referring to that yeah yeah awesome
thanks Leanna for showing that cover
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um yeah I’m so excited to to know and work with
all of you through no false Solutions and um here
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I’m also located in uh so then to a territory
um I’ve also so-called Albuquerque um and yeah
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I mean we’ve been doing a lot of work specifically
around hydrogen and carbon sequestration but also
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you know hearing stories from across the state and
regionally about the different fall Solutions so
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um you know I think we’ll start off with
Leona but can you talk about you know some of
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um you’re fighting against false Solutions and
you know the way you’re supporting what you see um
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as real solutions while centering specifically um
you know decolonial ways of thinking youth climate
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organizing um yeah in your in Your Vision so so
about what work you’re doing and how you do it
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sure um so I’m gonna just um maybe give a little
a background uh for folks that don’t know me
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um because I want to highlight um the Kiva
Club I want to give a shout out to a student
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organization I used to be a part of um like 20
years ago um so I’m really dating myself here
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this was when I was an undergrad at UNM um and so
the Kiva Club did a lot of really excellent work
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um and and that’s how I was introduced to EJ and
all of this stuff so I don’t want to put down
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student organizing I think it’s really important
um but uh I right now uh fast forwarding I’ve
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been work I worked with many organizations so like
the first group I spent a lot of time with uh is
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the sage Council uh which doesn’t exist anymore
so they were working on sacred sites protection
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um and uh then Eastern Navajo dinner against
uranium mining which was fighting a uranium mine
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um they still are uh fighting that mine we
stopped it in 2014 and it a different company
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has bought the the permits that’s a longer story
but so some of the work I’ve done over the years
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um it was with some dinette groups um indigenous
groups um and then later I got really involved
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with anti-nuke groups which were mostly
Belladonna so a lot of white organizations
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in the east coast and folks fighting uh
both nuclear weapons and nuclear energy work
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um so I spent a long time working with non-native
groups building my own Community knowledge about
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nuclear uh everything and so that’s where I that’s
how I did my work a lot of it was just educating
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myself and then sharing that with everybody so I
I am I was on a call earlier today listening to a
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young genev woman talking about what it’s like
to organize on the res so having to um explain
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these really complicated Concepts to our elders
and then having to translate it so I personally
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um I I want to say I’m learning my language I’m
really learning you know my culture and and things
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every day but um I’m not fluent and so when I
was working on the res back when we were fighting
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this uranium mine a lot of the work I did was to
tell the elders what’s going on and then having
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a translator explain it and so over time um this
reality of our people not using English first as
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as a language it’s you know where our people speak
didn’t it our elders they don’t even you know read
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the net uh because it isn’t a written language we
had an oral history our whole culture everything
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was passed on orally so how do we fight this big
fight to stop a uranium mine or climate change
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um when the reality is our people don’t have
access to Internet um maybe even cell reception
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in some places there’s a lot of it you know out
in the rural areas um that’s the reality is our
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people don’t have um some people don’t have
running water much less high-speed internet so
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um what I did and the way I did my work
was this is going back into 2011 to 2014.
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um I did a lot of driving um going to communities
to give presentations and having paper handouts
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with a lot of information in a graphic way where
people don’t have to read so much but kind of like
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an infographic um but but not so much reading you
can go to my web site that this is this this is
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not a very updated website but yeah you can go
to dinner no nukes.org and um it’ll show this
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page called the radiation monitoring project and
if you scroll down there’s a link for resources
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on educational materials so so what we did was a
lot of Education um in in a way that was palpable
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for people um so I live in the city and I’m not
on the res I I don’t live in a contaminated area
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um but I spent a lot of time learning about the
issue I lived I moved back home for about a year
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and um this is this is how I did my work was to
immerse myself in the community even though I’m
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dinner I’m still an outsider coming back home
so I had to understand my role as an outsider
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so even though I am Brown and my Clans are
from there my relatives are living there
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that didn’t mean I was easily accepted into the
community um a lot of people were interested in
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uranium issues because there’s this thing called
a radiation exposure compensation act where they
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can get funding to to pay for health Bill
their health bills or or you know if they
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lost someone from uranium mining so this was
like a little bit of money um I mean I’m saying
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a little bit like I think it’s like a hundred
and fifty thousand but the Rica uh money it it
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was supposed to Sunset last year and so this
is a huge issue Across the Nation federally
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um that we need Rica to continue so when I was
doing my work people were more interested in
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their health problems their water quality so it
was really hard to talk about uh capitalism or
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um you know neocolonialism all this stuff that
we’re talking about today you know my elders
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they were just asking me what’s going to happen to
my body I I live in a place where I was breathing
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this stuff in I live in a place where the water
is contaminated our sheep were drinking the water
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am I gonna get sick and so that’s what people
were asking me they didn’t care what was going
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on at the cop I don’t even didn’t even know about
the cop the United Nations convening of parties I
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didn’t I learned about climate change I think
in 2005 is the first time I heard the term but
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I’ll just wrap up by saying the work I did
was basically translating English um these
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nuclear terms all of the complicated stuff into
simple language and then further translating them
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graphically into a paper product that people could
easily take home and and use to understand what
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was going to happen to their body so that’s what
they wanted to know so I helped to develop uh this
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thing called a radiation monitoring project that
was to help to educate people on the the issues
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they wanted to know about um so that came out
of the organizing to fight the uranium mine so
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the things people really need on the ground are
not necessarily the things we think are important
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but somehow we have to figure out how to mix
them or do both at the same time somehow to
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honor what the community needs are and then at the
same time hopefully stop the uranium mine stop the
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hydrogen Hub or incinerator or you know whatever
the community is fighting because what they’re
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fighting is also cause causing all these other
problems uh societal problems economic health
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and and that’s what they’re really dealing with
on a day-to-day basis so going to Congress going
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to these meetings that’s not a priority when
their people are their kids their Elders are
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coughing and sick and it’s really heartbreaking
so so that’s why I do what I do is you know I’m
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kind of in the Middle where I’m in this city
and have access to some of the information and
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the resources and then take it back home and and
then engage in things like this or the legislature
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um yeah so that’s a little bit about my work
sorry I went on I’ll um stop there thank you
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yeah thanks Leona I mean I know that you
do so much so thank you for that snippet
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um just a reminder for folks to follow
everybody here that’s speaking and and
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if they are tied to organizations to
to follow that but also the individuals
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um because folks like Leona are doing this on
an individual basis I think that’s important
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um let’s hear from Shaw Julia
and then we’ll bring Jonathan on
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um I can relate to a lot of what Leona said about
kind of not being in the space but being in this
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space um in my case I don’t know that they would
consider me reconnecting I was born and raised in
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Oregon to migrant parents but my first language
was their language and that afforded me a really
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different experience with my upbringing because
it was during the 80s into early 90s that my
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parents were involved and I’m a movement baby
so my parents were involved in anti-nuclear
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work and demilitarization work the islands
that my family is from Palau are part of the
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region known as Micronesia and that includes the
Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic
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of the Marshall Islands as well as for the three
countries Marshall Islands Palau and FSM those are
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known as freely Associated States or they fall
under the compact to free association which if
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anyone ever hears this free association is not
free for anybody especially not for the people
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on the non-us side of it um so part of the work
I do with Pacifica Uprising and just on my own
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um and it’s kind of the root of a lot of the
climate Justice and bodily autonomy work is
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explaining our history and how we got to this
point and explaining that the compact the free
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association those are three separate treaties
that the United States has with us and obviously
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we know the United States treaties it doesn’t go
well for anybody ours happened within my lifetime
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and so we um regained sovereignty in 1994
and Independence Day is just us being in our
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dependence on the United States um so that’s where
a lot of the work centers from and then showing
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because we are such as Paul country Palau right
now I think has a population of roughly 20 000 or
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just under it as a whole country and that’s with I
believe a third of the population being foreigners
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and so for the kids in the diaspora who grew up
in the diaspora like me we don’t learn anything
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about where we’re from unless our parents teach us
and a lot of times because our parents are trying
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to assimilate we don’t learn things and so the
work I’d be doing is trying to make our history
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and our culture more tangible and accessible
and relating it to what’s going on here because
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being part of diaspora also means that we’re
settlers on indigenous land and I talk about
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how in order for us to connect in order for
us to honor our ancestors and our heritage we
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have to stand in solidarity with the indigenous
people whose land we’re on and trying to show
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the cultural relevance and importance there is an
opportunity for a lot of kids who I mean nieces
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nephews cousins who don’t speak the language who
don’t know even the basics of the culture this is
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a this is a starting place that makes sense and so
being able to show up whether it’s on line three
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or whether it was in DC whether it was in Atlanta
and being part of those movements and showing that
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Pacifica people especially in diaspora we have a
space there and it’s it’s our responsibility to be
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in these spaces to uphold and uplift and amplify
the other indigenous people the people whose land
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we’re on because my ancestors were alive they
would be like yes of course you have to do that
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you’re I’m here and so it’s teaching and making
culture relevant based on the spaces that we’re
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in and also teaching them our political history
because not a lot of people have the time to sit
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down and read a 300 page document that basically
explains why we’re independent but we don’t get
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to make decisions why our currency is U.S
currency why our post office is the US Post
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Office why re we’re independent but rely on the
United States for so many things and at the same
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time they continue to throw us under the bus
and so teaching those things teaching that the
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United States military is not the only option
to get off of an island teaching people that
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what the United States military does
what the Department of Defense does is
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devastating our natural resources what it’s doing
to the land and how it’s now written into our
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treaties that we’ve lost so much ability to have
that self-determination despite being told that
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we’re Sovereign and so teaching them that history
and showing how it’s very parallel to the history
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here and why these things connect and why we need
to work together informing that cohesive voice
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and like doing the work um that’s really kind
of like the root of where this comes from and
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um tying it in with bodily autonomy
and showing people how like and this
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was taught to me by one of my best friends
that I can’t believe I never thought of but
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like everything spiritual is practical
everything practical is spiritual and so
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things that we take for granted things
we don’t think about when it comes to
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um like sustainability and to food sovereignty
and to food security how that fell apart for us
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at home because of colonization because of where
the military is now and what they’re doing to us
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now and tying that into we live in the United
States now this is how it’s the same thing is
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impacting people and building relationships off
of that so that we can work together because
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obviously more voices more bodies is the last
thing they want to see from essence of course
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we want to upset people in positions of power and
authority but that’s a bulk of the work I do and
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if I do a good enough job I will work myself
out of a job and the next generation will come
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in and take over for me and I can just drink
tea and lay in bed and be like look at them
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they’re so amazing because I love gen Z so much
they’re so amazing and that’s my feel thank you
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thank you so much chef I think that it was
like super inspiring and I didn’t realize you
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were from Palau or something um yeah Julia
do you want to go next and then Jonathan
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yeah yeah just uh I wanna appreciate
everything that Sean Leona have shared
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um in terms of like the why why
we get involved in this work or
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um this continuation of historic indigenous
resistance and Uprising it’s just like really
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inspiring um especially since uh sometimes I
know that we feel like we’re up against so much
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um to be aligned in that way is really um is
really awesome but yeah so um just real quickly
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just some of the work that we’ve been involved
in here in New Mexico or so-called New Mexico
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um our region is very resource rich in in fact so
much that it’s become um a energy sacrifice Zone
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um a lot of the times we say like New
Mexico is Ground Zero for a lot of
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um continuing energy um infrastructure
but also like new energy infrastructure
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um some of us in our organizations has even said
that uh like where the guinea pigs have you know
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emerging uh Technologies around energy development
and energy storage and production and so
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um we had really started our work um in Coalition
with the greater Chaco uh Coalition that is
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um geogra in terms of the geography that’s the
uh Northwestern corner of New Mexico or what they
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call like the four corners area or the San Juan
Basin and this is a highly uh highly productive
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oil and gas extractive area and has been for
some time now I think since um the uh early
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1900s oil has been extracted from that region but
um within that area also has a large uh indigenous
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population mostly Danae folks have been um living
and occupying in that region for some time now but
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um for Pueblo people there’s also a very important
sacred site like right in the middle of all of
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this uh Devastation and that’s Chaco Canyon and
so it’s been a it’s been a movement where we are
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um demanding the phase out of fossil fuels
and the cleanup and Remediation of those areas
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um but also the protection of cultural
and historic Landscapes that um have many
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indigenous stakeholders involved tribal Nations
Sovereign tribal Nations who are oftentimes
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um fighting for free prior informed consent and
to be a part of full cultural landscape planning
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um because while it’s been under the federal
jurisdiction there’s just been a lot of um a lot
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of environmental and health impacts in the area so
um you know moving into this uh this conversation
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in this narrative around false Solutions we are
now facing a lot of new energy infrastructure as
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um you know a neoliberal agenda would like us
to think that we’re in the beginning stages
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of a just transition But ultimately a lot of the
times we are just continuing the fossil fuel era
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um by way of carbon capture and sequestration or
blue hydrogen or um you know using those different
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types of energy Technologies to uh invest more
dollars into just you know strengthening and
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continuing this like network of infrastructure
that’s meant to just extract um and so a lot
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of our work now is just really trying to unpack
like how how this even began in the first place
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um you know tying its roots directly to uh
colonialism and systems of Oppression and
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um you know just the way that colonialism
Trends over time um we’re seeing that in the
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midst of climate change our government is really
focusing on protecting like small portions of
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biodiversity But continuing to extract a you know
business as usual or using other types of Market
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based mechanisms to you know reach Net Zero
pledges and offset carbon at different areas
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of the world and so really just seeing how
Insidious global capitalism it continues to be
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um but also recognizing how indigenous resistance
and uh people of color mobilization and Frontline
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Community analysis is really like what’s uh um
what’s the what’s you know doing its part to
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dismantle those oppressive systems and so that’s
been a lot of the work that we’ve been doing of
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public action Alliance but of course none of that
would be um able to be like accomplished without
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being in Coalition with other organizations like
New Mexico no-fault Solutions like Yucca like Hood
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week in the hot house and then I even think uh
by way of other large coalitions like uh people
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versus fossil fuels has also been a mechanism for
us to continue to State our demands of keeping it
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in the ground no false Solutions and a real
just economic transition for for all of us so
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I’ll go ahead and stop there and let Jonathan
take over yeah thank you so much it’s awesome
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to spend this evening with some badass matriarchs
from communities across across the world so yeah
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again my name is Jonathan Juarez Alonso
I’m from the bubbles of Laguna and this
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letter uh both of which are just outside of
so-called Albuquerque Here In Tua territories
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um I really got involved in the work through
journalism I was actually the first place that
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I got involved and it’s still kind of like a side
passion of mine but I was at generation Justice
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00:36:34,020 –> 00:36:41,640
which is a project of kunm our local public
radio station and was basically kind of just
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00:36:41,640 –> 00:36:46,740
a correspondent going out to different community
events and protests and covering you know kind
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of covering the movement from the outside and
a lot of what we focused on there was you know
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narrative shifting and making sure that we’re you
know telling our stories from our perspective and
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00:36:57,240 –> 00:37:02,580
the perspectives that we want to actually you
know be uplifting rather than you know what
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00:37:02,580 –> 00:37:08,040
opposition or what you know the white mainstream
is constantly wanting to say about us we want to
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make sure they’re you know kind of disrupting
that flow and putting out the media that
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our communities want to see as well so you
know I joined generation Justice I was like 13.
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um I can’t do math at the moment but then in 2016
uh that’s when I actually went to Standing Rock
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um as like a journalist um and was able to do
interviews with water protectors who had been
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arrested and other you know indigenous Frontline
folks that were holding that ground there
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um but that was really I would say where my shift
was from you know being behind the camera and kind
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00:37:44,520 –> 00:37:49,440
of covering these stories to then okay well now I
want to actually kind of be in front of the camera
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I want to be involved and actually like doing the
work and so I came back home to tiwa territories
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uh really kind of just like charged up this is
also you know the year of the 2016 election uh
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which you know polarized and just kind of brought
so much uh just so much into like the political
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Spotlight um so you know that kind of that mindset
drove me into getting involved with you know
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almost every organization here in Albuquerque I
think a lot of young activists kind of have that
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00:38:17,880 –> 00:38:21,360
stage where they’re like in like almost like
a little bit of everything and it’s a little
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00:38:21,360 –> 00:38:25,440
hectic but then you kind of find your place and
you settle down and you figure out exactly what
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00:38:25,440 –> 00:38:30,420
you want to be doing um so for me um I was doing
you know youth-led organizing from the beginning
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00:38:31,380 –> 00:38:38,220
um I was really noticing that in these spaces
um you know there’s a lot of ageism towards
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young people that you know we don’t want to
you know take take young people seriously we
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don’t want to give them a space at the table
um you know we’ve even heard of some of our
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elected officials say you know they can’t vote
so you know they basically don’t matter to them
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um and so you know all these other things but
uh going you know that mindset then driving me
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to kind of create my own organization spaces
um and I was doing that from like 2019 to 2021
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00:39:04,740 –> 00:39:09,720
um and then like I said in 2021 I was uh
brought on for you know staff for Yucca
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00:39:10,500 –> 00:39:18,360
um but in 2019 Yucca actually formed um kind of
as our community’s response to the climate crisis
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00:39:18,360 –> 00:39:24,120
and to you know calls coming from across the
world that we need to be taking you know these
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00:39:24,120 –> 00:39:29,820
Mission reduction standards and you know keeping
fossil fuels fracking moratoriums just these bold
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00:39:29,820 –> 00:39:34,560
pieces of action that we need to be taking
them extremely seriously especially in States
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00:39:34,560 –> 00:39:39,840
like New Mexico where we’re one of the largest
contributors to Global emissions Global emissions
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00:39:40,800 –> 00:39:46,800
um so it was actually you know uh primarily
indigenous two-spirit queer young people from
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Northern New Mexico that actually spent um a week
long uh like in a week-long strategic planning uh
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training uh we have we hosted every year now
it’s called our um El Puente Summer Leadership
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Academy it’s actually been hosted every year by
our parent organization earthcare but yucco was
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00:40:03,600 –> 00:40:09,420
formed in 2019 out of that Leadership Academy
and has really you know gone on to continue
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00:40:09,420 –> 00:40:15,060
the call for those original demand of keeping
fossil fuels in the ground and you know a rapid
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00:40:15,060 –> 00:40:22,320
transition to a renewable renewable economy um
and you know kind of back to the question um how
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we do this is you know really through a diversity
of tactics for us so and I think that’s you know
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00:40:27,180 –> 00:40:32,400
something that Yucca does a really beautiful
job of exemplifying um we have you know some
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00:40:32,400 –> 00:40:38,820
more theatrical actions where we staged actual
mock Guillotines outside our state capitol where
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the blades the ropes that were holding the blades
were frozen in ice to kind of you know symbolize
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00:40:45,600 –> 00:40:51,120
the time and you know the time factor and
how inaction today will directly lead to
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uh you know deadly consequences to young people
primarily indigenous young people in the future
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00:40:57,900 –> 00:41:03,600
um we’ve also you know we’ve had a civil
disobedience actions where um when we delivered
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our demands we delivered them um in I believe
it was September it was a week after the climate
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00:41:09,720 –> 00:41:15,480
strike so it was like September 30th of 29 19 and
we gave Governor Lou hungerston a 30-day deadline
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00:41:15,480 –> 00:41:22,860
to take action before you know we would return um
and so you know put put things into context uh in
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00:41:22,860 –> 00:41:26,580
our demands there’s a lot of different courses
of action that could be could have been taken
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00:41:27,420 –> 00:41:31,020
um the easiest of which would have just you
know been to declare a climate emergency
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00:41:32,280 –> 00:41:37,140
um in the state of New Mexico which is essentially
you know the stroke of a pen and you know that
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00:41:37,140 –> 00:41:42,120
30-day deadline came up and we still hadn’t seen
any action come out of the governor’s office so
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we actually um hosted a civil disobedience
action where 21 of our members adult allies
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of our organization were actually arrested in
the governor’s office just for their charges
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00:41:54,540 –> 00:42:00,300
to then just be then be dismissed in court by
the judge um so you know Civil Disobedience
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00:42:00,300 –> 00:42:08,880
protesting direct action we also as I mentioned
I’m the policy lead so we also definitely uh play
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00:42:08,880 –> 00:42:14,580
uh this political game that is very frustrating
and as I mentioned you know we don’t necessarily
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see policy or this political Cycle System to you
know be the end-all be-all or to be the mechanism
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00:42:23,640 –> 00:42:29,280
that’s going to bring out you know the liberation
of our communities um but also recognizing that we
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have to participate in a harm reduction uh in a
harm reduction stance and and uh from that space
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where we’re you know recognizing that while you
know these systems were never made for us they’re
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never going to benefit us if we don’t show up
to participate in opposition the people that
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00:42:44,040 –> 00:42:48,600
don’t have our interests in mind at all we’ll
kind of have full reign of the conversation
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um so you know with that we’ve been
showing up to all of the different
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00:42:54,360 –> 00:42:59,160
um committee hearings for different pieces of
legislation that we’ve been supporting uh things
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like local Choice energy and the uranium of the
prohibition of uranium storage or a nuclear waste
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00:43:05,880 –> 00:43:10,860
storage here in New Mexico something I think we’re
going to talk about tonight as well but also you
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00:43:10,860 –> 00:43:16,920
know bills that we a pose like the Advanced Energy
technology act other bills that we definitely see
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as false Solutions because you know they include
these Technologies like carbon capture and
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00:43:22,020 –> 00:43:29,700
sequestration like offsets like Net Zero pledges
um all of which we’ve seen across the world are
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just being used to prolong the fossil fuels life
here in New Mexico and across the global South
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um so you know I think for me what really
drives um the passion for the work is you
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know remembering and I think I think all of us
obviously relate to this um but just remembering
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where we come from um the you know the lines
of resistance that all of us have been born
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00:43:52,020 –> 00:43:58,260
into I was also born into a movement family
um but also you know as a Pueblo person um
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really honoring and trying to you know just
honor and live out the Legacy being a descendant
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00:44:07,920 –> 00:44:14,700
of Pueblo Revenue Pueblo revolutionaries
sorry um just you know recognizing the
367
00:44:14,700 –> 00:44:21,480
in 1680 there was you know a massive Rebellion
against the Spanish conquistadors here in
368
00:44:21,480 –> 00:44:28,260
New Mexico and it was a unification of several
tribes that didn’t even speak the same languages
369
00:44:29,340 –> 00:44:34,560
um but to see you know to remember that history
and know that you know that was our community’s
370
00:44:34,560 –> 00:44:40,500
response to at the time you know we had seen the
Spanish as completely disrupting our way of life
371
00:44:40,500 –> 00:44:46,920
that had been in balance with our natural world
for since time immemorial and particularly their
372
00:44:46,920 –> 00:44:51,840
taxes that um because of the droughts that
we have here in New Mexico the Spanish were
373
00:44:51,840 –> 00:44:57,180
unprepared we were they began taxing food
at a rate that we could no longer afford
374
00:44:57,900 –> 00:45:01,920
um and so that really you know kind of pushed
things over the edge but to see you know that
375
00:45:01,920 –> 00:45:08,940
type of resistance in response to that disruption
of you know our way of life and then to think you
376
00:45:08,940 –> 00:45:15,000
know I think uh think about this all the time but
if my ancestors you know could could see today I
377
00:45:15,000 –> 00:45:20,280
know that they can but physically if you know if
they could be here and see the Rio Grande running
378
00:45:20,280 –> 00:45:26,940
dry year after year or if they could walk into the
grand Cuba at choco and see the fracking wheels
379
00:45:26,940 –> 00:45:33,720
and see the ways in which industry and um you
know colonialism have continued to prey on what we
380
00:45:33,720 –> 00:45:40,320
have always deemed to be sacred and protected and
sacred uh as sacred um and I wonder you know what
381
00:45:40,320 –> 00:45:46,020
their response would be knowing that in the past
their response was actually the only successful
382
00:45:46,020 –> 00:45:54,480
Rebellion against the U.S U.S Empire in Northern
America um but also you know something that we
383
00:45:54,480 –> 00:46:01,740
to the state can see we’re one of the only tribes
that are still where uh where we were found upon
384
00:46:01,740 –> 00:46:08,100
first Contact and as a result we still remain we
still maintain so much of you know our languages
385
00:46:08,100 –> 00:46:13,620
and our ceremonies that have existed since time
immemorial as a direct result of that Rebellion
386
00:46:14,340 –> 00:46:22,740
um and so you know carrying on that Legacy um and
that passion uh in this fight um and yeah I as you
387
00:46:22,740 –> 00:46:27,120
know also a quick note um this is not a first
you know this is like second generation for us
388
00:46:27,840 –> 00:46:33,300
um I uh being from the Pueblo Laguna we have
the largest uh uranium mine jackpile uranium
389
00:46:33,300 –> 00:46:38,880
mine is the largest open-air uranium mine in the
world uh to the states and EPA Superfund Site
390
00:46:39,420 –> 00:46:44,940
um but I actually um my family was part of a
lawsuit that made it to the Supreme Court that was
391
00:46:44,940 –> 00:46:50,880
ultimately dismissed because they couldn’t provide
a legal deed to the land that we’ve occupied uh
392
00:46:50,880 –> 00:46:57,420
for centuries um but uh then you know kind of
as a result and my grandfather growing up in
393
00:46:58,080 –> 00:47:03,720
um you know in that environment of you know
resisting pollution and you know colonization
394
00:47:03,720 –> 00:47:09,000
of our lands um he you know would ultimately
move and relocate his family to Albuquerque
395
00:47:09,660 –> 00:47:13,920
um and so recognizing that that environmental
racism you know directly did push my family
396
00:47:13,920 –> 00:47:18,660
off of our homelands um but yeah that’s you
know that’s what led me to this fight that’s
397
00:47:18,660 –> 00:47:24,060
a little Spiel on Yucca and our diversity
of tactics that we deploy to pursue this
398
00:47:24,060 –> 00:47:28,920
um these demands that we’re pushing for um yeah
I’m gonna hop off and let Julia get back on
399
00:47:34,380 –> 00:47:42,000
thanks Jonathan I mean I think everybody
had so much to share and offer and I just
400
00:47:42,000 –> 00:47:47,160
you know appreciate you all for you know
spending this evening having this event
401
00:47:48,060 –> 00:47:53,940
um on Instagram um I really want to just also
just shout out Hoodwinked for allowing us to have
402
00:47:53,940 –> 00:48:01,260
this space because really what we’re doing not
only is just conversing you know we’re sharing
403
00:48:01,260 –> 00:48:06,000
tactics we’re sharing information and I think
that’s really what the collective is all about
404
00:48:06,960 –> 00:48:12,960
um is about sharing our stories and learning
the different ways in which we can continue
405
00:48:12,960 –> 00:48:19,560
to build a resistance that is Grassroots that
is youth-led and Indigenous and bypoc centered
406
00:48:20,700 –> 00:48:27,840
um I wanted to see if the audience had
questions to comment um you know and then
407
00:48:27,840 –> 00:48:33,120
you know the speakers too if there was any
quick Reflections as we wait for some of the
408
00:48:33,120 –> 00:48:42,240
questions to come in from the audience um yeah
any Reflections that folks had hearing each other
409
00:48:49,620 –> 00:48:57,840
I think for me it’s like hearing everyone’s like
stories or ways in which they connect with this
410
00:48:57,840 –> 00:49:06,960
type of work it’s just a reminder that on a global
scale a lot of these uh stories of displacement or
411
00:49:07,980 –> 00:49:16,560
um you know entering into these advocacy
types of lifestyles are very similar
412
00:49:17,940 –> 00:49:27,060
um all over the world and so um knowing that um
knowing the different ways in which colonialism
413
00:49:27,060 –> 00:49:33,240
has impacted our communities um still
to this day is just a really important
414
00:49:34,260 –> 00:49:38,400
um analysis that I think a lot of
us have been really trying to Center
415
00:49:39,420 –> 00:49:46,560
um because a lot of the times you know Frontline
communities indigenous youth environmental justice
416
00:49:46,560 –> 00:49:54,840
communities don’t always have a seat at the table
and are often being spoken over or undermined
417
00:49:54,840 –> 00:50:02,160
um in terms of how we’re going to address these
issues in the future and I just want to point
418
00:50:02,160 –> 00:50:09,540
out that a lot of the false Solutions work is
de-centering you know this more like European
419
00:50:09,540 –> 00:50:16,800
and or a white settler analysis and making sure
that indigenous peoples are leading this fight
420
00:50:16,800 –> 00:50:25,680
that Frontline folks are also included in any
sort of future planning that has to do with
421
00:50:26,280 –> 00:50:34,140
um resource extraction or you just whatever
whatever it is um it’s it’s been named not
422
00:50:34,140 –> 00:50:40,080
just like in the Grassroots organizing
movement but even through the recent
423
00:50:40,740 –> 00:50:48,120
um ipcc reports it’s clearly states that there
needs to be diverse stakeholder engagement and
424
00:50:48,120 –> 00:50:56,280
also the utilization of indigenous knowledge and
worldview to also address climate crisis and so
425
00:50:56,280 –> 00:51:03,600
just want to acknowledge that um you know there’s
folks like here indigenous folks here that are
426
00:51:04,380 –> 00:51:12,300
um have dedicated their lives to this work
and are still like like trying to Center
427
00:51:13,140 –> 00:51:23,340
um their and their people’s analysis it’s just
um a really important aspect of this work that I
428
00:51:23,340 –> 00:51:30,600
think is just a huge system change for many but
um I just yeah again just wanted to acknowledge
429
00:51:30,600 –> 00:51:37,080
that after listening to everybody’s uh sort of
origin stories for getting involved in this work
430
00:51:43,680 –> 00:51:51,240
shot are you gonna um comment I wasn’t sure like
right before Julia spoke if you were gonna all
431
00:51:51,240 –> 00:52:00,000
right I’ve had a question for my fellow speakers
and that’s for youth who are interested in getting
432
00:52:00,000 –> 00:52:11,700
involved but and I think it’s fairly accurate to
say that advocacy activism and any sort of social
433
00:52:11,700 –> 00:52:19,200
justice work when you’re doing it within cultures
that are very connected to like their Heritage
434
00:52:19,200 –> 00:52:26,280
their traditions something that we come across a
lot is having our opposition be some of our elders
435
00:52:26,280 –> 00:52:33,600
and have you come across that and how do you speak
to indigenous youth who are interested but they’ve
436
00:52:33,600 –> 00:52:40,560
had maybe not the best experiences in bringing
these things up to whether it’s elders and their
437
00:52:40,560 –> 00:52:50,940
family their Community or olders who are just
very like interested in like not seeing change
438
00:53:01,020 –> 00:53:05,400
yeah I know that Jonathan you know
had brought up the public Revolt
439
00:53:06,000 –> 00:53:12,660
um as like a really important part of our
history and um I think a lot of like young
440
00:53:12,660 –> 00:53:18,420
people like Pueblo people that have been
wanting to get more involved in this work I
441
00:53:18,420 –> 00:53:24,600
acknowledge that history and want to make sure
that it remains relevant in our fight against
442
00:53:25,500 –> 00:53:36,540
um extractivism um I feel like that is like
an important um way for us to to move about
443
00:53:36,540 –> 00:53:45,240
spaces where our elders aren’t always in line
or always agree with like direct action or with
444
00:53:45,900 –> 00:53:53,580
um being unapologetically uh in opposition
of capitalism or you know whatever it is
445
00:53:54,360 –> 00:54:03,660
um I think like the like young people have been
really embracing um our history of resistance and
446
00:54:04,560 –> 00:54:14,280
um it gives me a lot of it gives me
a lot of I guess Solace knowing that
447
00:54:15,180 –> 00:54:22,500
um that way of thinking is changing you know
and I do feel like even though like there may
448
00:54:22,500 –> 00:54:29,340
be moments where Elders do push back on the
way in which we’re approaching the climate
449
00:54:29,340 –> 00:54:36,960
crisis there are definitely those that support
um young people in this work and by uplifting
450
00:54:36,960 –> 00:54:43,440
these concept of these concepts of it making
intergenerational spaces also lends opportunity
451
00:54:43,440 –> 00:54:50,520
for elders to learn from the youth as like the
youth are supposed to learn from our elders like
452
00:54:50,520 –> 00:54:57,780
there’s this reciprocity that happens when you’re
building those very intentional intergenerational
453
00:54:57,780 –> 00:55:05,100
or multi-generational organizing spaces I
find that as in a really effective tool for
454
00:55:05,100 –> 00:55:11,940
trying to continue to teach our people like why
it’s so important for us to take really strong
455
00:55:11,940 –> 00:55:21,360
and bold stances um to to address climate and
to engage with climate mitigation strategies but
456
00:55:22,320 –> 00:55:29,220
um we have to always like remember our
history keep it relevant and I think that
457
00:55:29,820 –> 00:55:37,260
um you know now in this new tech age we have a lot
more accessibility to resources and tools and I
458
00:55:37,260 –> 00:55:45,360
think that’s also um giving us more opportunities
to connect with who our ancestors were and what
459
00:55:45,360 –> 00:55:53,100
they fought for and why they fought for it so but
I would also maybe I’ll jump off and let Jonathan
460
00:55:53,100 –> 00:55:59,460
jump back onto if he wants to speak to any of the
youth work that he’s been doing with yucca yeah
461
00:56:01,500 –> 00:56:10,320
okay just to respond I guess um um can
can you repeat the question not a problem
462
00:56:11,400 –> 00:56:15,780
um in our community we often have youth who may
463
00:56:15,780 –> 00:56:18,600
be interested they show some
interest and then they come up
464
00:56:21,600 –> 00:56:26,460
on elders whether it’s traditional
leaders Community leaders politicians
465
00:56:26,460 –> 00:56:31,560
people that we’re supposed to look
up to who do not have our future
466
00:56:32,460 –> 00:56:38,520
in mind as they make their decisions and that
can be really disheartening and really just
467
00:56:38,520 –> 00:56:45,060
take away all of the wind in your sales when you
want to do this work and so I was wondering have
468
00:56:45,060 –> 00:56:49,140
you come up against that within your own
communities and how have you dealt with it
469
00:56:51,180 –> 00:57:00,180
um so thank you thanks for repeating that I I
guess just to um jump in before Jonathan responds
470
00:57:00,180 –> 00:57:06,540
I think um I’m I’m a little bit in the middle
as a I’m not a youth anymore and I and I don’t
471
00:57:06,540 –> 00:57:16,140
feel like an elder um I’m kind of I feel like uh
needing to bridge the gap sometimes um for me as
472
00:57:16,140 –> 00:57:22,320
a dinette person I this is my personal perspective
I don’t know if other Danette people I don’t speak
473
00:57:22,320 –> 00:57:28,980
for everybody obviously none of us do but um I
kind of break it down into like three different
474
00:57:30,000 –> 00:57:37,080
um major audiences I I don’t know if that’s the
right word because on Navajo Nation we have our
475
00:57:37,080 –> 00:57:45,120
government um which they’re the elected officials
whether people vote or not I mean that’s also a
476
00:57:45,120 –> 00:57:52,140
colonial construct um so there’s the government
that was put in place specifically to sign the
477
00:57:52,140 –> 00:57:59,520
fossil fuel leases back in the early 20th
century and then we have the traditional
478
00:57:59,520 –> 00:58:09,420
Elders so like medicine people um knowledge
holders um so folks that are still doing and
479
00:58:09,420 –> 00:58:14,880
practicing our old traditional ways like Jonathan
was mentioning and then um and then and then I and
480
00:58:14,880 –> 00:58:21,000
then this other group we might call I I call
the Grassroots so that would be us activists
481
00:58:21,000 –> 00:58:26,580
who kind of bridge the gap between tradition
and then advocating in the political world
482
00:58:27,600 –> 00:58:32,460
um and oftentimes we’re fighting the Navajo Nation
so like right now the Navajo Nation government
483
00:58:33,480 –> 00:58:40,080
um they want to develop hydrogen and helium and
whatever they can because of Economic Development
484
00:58:40,080 –> 00:58:46,080
the good thing is in that the Navajo Nation has
a law against uranium mining so that always helps
485
00:58:46,080 –> 00:58:51,960
my work and that’s because uranium mining has
uranium mining has killed a lot of my people
486
00:58:52,920 –> 00:58:58,080
um and we’re still dealing with all of the
radioactive waste so it’s easy for me to
487
00:58:58,080 –> 00:59:04,620
fight uranium issues on Navajo because of the
law but there’s a lot of complications because
488
00:59:04,620 –> 00:59:12,420
of colonization in the North western part of the
state that’s called the checkerboard area so the
489
00:59:12,420 –> 00:59:18,960
laws are it’s extremely complex because whoever
regulates depends on which jurisdiction you’re
490
00:59:18,960 –> 00:59:26,100
on and sometimes that’s different on the surface
and then below the surface so like water rights
491
00:59:26,100 –> 00:59:35,340
or mineral rights might not be the same might not
be owned by the owned uh you know um and that’s
492
00:59:35,340 –> 00:59:43,620
the other thing is ownership the Navajo Nation
hi everyone so we just got um our kicked off our
493
00:59:43,620 –> 00:59:53,340
lives so sorry for the folks who are watching
um I don’t think anyone’s tuned in yet so
494
00:59:54,540 –> 01:00:03,000
okay we got some folks tuning in I’m gonna try to
re-add our speakers Hello friends who are joining
495
01:00:04,260 –> 01:00:08,280
um Alejandra who is hosting is taking
a little break but she might hop back
496
01:00:08,280 –> 01:00:14,820
on in a bit and some folks had to go but I
want to give our speakers time to finish up
497
01:00:16,260 –> 01:00:24,120
um so if our speakers are able to
request to join that would be great since
498
01:00:25,740 –> 01:00:29,460
I’m not sure how to add you but I
will try to figure that out right now
499
01:00:31,560 –> 01:00:35,520
um okay so our speakers need
to join before I can add them
500
01:00:51,600 –> 01:00:57,360
so thanks folks for just watching me be
here until we get our speakers back on
501
01:01:09,780 –> 01:01:10,620
okay
502
01:01:14,880 –> 01:01:20,820
Shaw I’m trying to accept to you
503
01:01:24,360 –> 01:01:33,900
hello we’re back we’re back and
Robert okay you could joined so
504
01:01:38,460 –> 01:01:39,960
and
505
01:01:43,260 –> 01:01:48,840
all right let’s see if we can add Jonathan
506
01:01:52,800 –> 01:01:59,460
yeah we can on there we can have some really
great events happening this week for the 10
507
01:01:59,460 –> 01:02:04,860
people watching if you’re in New York City you
could go in person and there’s another one online
508
01:02:06,180 –> 01:02:10,740
um Alejandra if you want to join
from your personal account feel
509
01:02:10,740 –> 01:02:16,260
free if not we can wait and
see we can wait a little um
510
01:02:21,360 –> 01:02:25,200
Jonathan if that’s you as
Yuka feel free to request
511
01:02:25,200 –> 01:02:28,020
to join I’m trying to add you but it’s not working
512
01:02:35,460 –> 01:02:37,500
hi Julio and others
513
01:02:39,660 –> 01:02:43,440
um Shaw in the meantime oh
someone else there’s alejandia
514
01:02:46,320 –> 01:02:53,280
is there anything you wanted to share um
when we got cut off by Instagram hello again
515
01:03:00,660 –> 01:03:08,640
um I was enjoying everyone’s answers um for us we
definitely come up against opposition within the
516
01:03:08,640 –> 01:03:15,360
community from political leaders Business Leaders
even traditional leaders and it’s rough because
517
01:03:15,360 –> 01:03:21,300
these are the people that you want to believe
have your best interest as a community in mind
518
01:03:21,300 –> 01:03:28,380
in their decision making and they often seem to
be in our case um the first ones ready to sell
519
01:03:28,380 –> 01:03:35,520
us out whether it’s for cryptocurrency [Music]
um or whatever other false solution they claim
520
01:03:35,520 –> 01:03:42,300
is going to save our Islands which are just
working to get us underwater faster thank you
521
01:03:49,140 –> 01:03:55,140
yeah I mean if I can just add really quick you
know I don’t know Jonathan if you wanted to add
522
01:03:55,140 –> 01:04:01,800
but you know I feel like during our legislative
session we are kind of always undermined um our
523
01:04:01,800 –> 01:04:08,220
analysis specifically like on things like hydrogen
or whatever and it’s really um disheartening
524
01:04:08,220 –> 01:04:15,300
because it’s like you know there’s always a call
for engagement of younger organizers and when it
525
01:04:15,300 –> 01:04:21,180
actually happens they write us off and that could
be politicians or other organizations and really
526
01:04:21,180 –> 01:04:27,420
it’s an elitism that’s like based on white
supremacy and it’s just it’s awful and I feel
527
01:04:27,420 –> 01:04:32,760
like you know um I don’t know if they’re still on
but I saw them on previously but it’s been good to
528
01:04:32,760 –> 01:04:39,960
be in in community with folks who were um in Los
Cardenas Institute uh because both Sophia Martinez
529
01:04:39,960 –> 01:04:45,420
and Richard Moore were there for like the first
people color summons and they were there when you
530
01:04:45,420 –> 01:04:50,460
know they were young people trying to build a lot
of these spaces that now have unfortunately been
531
01:04:50,460 –> 01:04:57,480
co-opted by political Elite and I think that right
now is the time for us to regain that power back
532
01:04:58,320 –> 01:05:06,060
um but Jonathan all the two speak to yeah totally
um yeah I was thinking about your question that
533
01:05:06,060 –> 01:05:11,760
you asked just before I don’t know what happened
this is really weird um but I think you know uh
534
01:05:11,760 –> 01:05:17,520
for me I remember especially here and I know
it varies by family and Community obviously
535
01:05:17,520 –> 01:05:23,700
but I’m I’m in my family the only I’m only the
second generation out of U.S boarding schools
536
01:05:23,700 –> 01:05:31,800
and so to remember that like our elders today
very much for survival learned assimilation and
537
01:05:31,800 –> 01:05:36,900
and were successfully colonized and so we’re doing
unfortunately with our communities whether that’s
538
01:05:36,900 –> 01:05:41,880
you know our spiritual leaders or just Elders in
our communities or or our Governors or presidents
539
01:05:42,780 –> 01:05:47,700
um you know dealing with unfortunately colonized
people that think it’s you know they have this
540
01:05:47,700 –> 01:05:54,480
mindset that it is okay to you know sacrifice
our resources or our cultural heritage in the
541
01:05:54,480 –> 01:06:00,420
name of profit or extraction or whatever that is
um but also you know that’s really frustrating
542
01:06:01,020 –> 01:06:05,400
um obviously but also remembering I think you
know kind of like Julia was saying before she
543
01:06:05,400 –> 01:06:10,860
had to hop off but honoring and remembering our
ancestors as well um all of us you know come from
544
01:06:10,860 –> 01:06:15,540
like I said earlier you know very resilient
lines that obviously fought to still be here
545
01:06:16,440 –> 01:06:22,440
um and so remembering you know those ancestors
as well and and that they were you know what
546
01:06:22,440 –> 01:06:27,660
they had to endure and push back against and that
we’re just continuing that fight um and also you
547
01:06:27,660 –> 01:06:34,800
know for young people in particular I think it’s
really unique because you know we look at just
548
01:06:34,800 –> 01:06:39,900
about every social movement throughout history
and it’s our young people who are front and center
549
01:06:39,900 –> 01:06:47,640
uh right now you know we see uh you know kind of
hand in hand with uh calls for you know uh action
550
01:06:47,640 –> 01:06:53,640
on climate from young people across the country
we’re also seeing massive you know uprisings for
551
01:06:53,640 –> 01:06:59,460
gun violence and gun legislation but also you know
going back into history of things like the Chicano
552
01:06:59,460 –> 01:07:05,160
uprisings and you know even the civil rights
movement that all of these you know spaces and
553
01:07:05,160 –> 01:07:10,620
movements were started by the young people um and
they’ve been recently in Standing Rock uh started
554
01:07:10,620 –> 01:07:18,420
you know by our our young people running all the
way from North Dakota to DC um and so remembering
555
01:07:18,420 –> 01:07:22,560
as young people that that’s kind of you know the
the place in history that we hold that we’re we’ve
556
01:07:22,560 –> 01:07:28,320
always continued to push back against you know
these systems that have imposed whatever you
557
01:07:28,320 –> 01:07:34,200
know whether it’s Reproductive Rights or whatever
you know sovereignty rights whatever it is that
558
01:07:34,200 –> 01:07:38,460
you know whatever they’re trying and force upon
us that we’ve always been there to push back
559
01:07:39,600 –> 01:07:42,600
um but yeah I think that’s that’s what I
would say in terms of at least you know
560
01:07:42,600 –> 01:07:48,540
kind of dealing with uh this colonized mindsets
unfortunately I’ve definitely dealt with that
561
01:07:48,540 –> 01:07:55,200
um from elders and Community but I also and
it’s important for everybody to know I’ve also
562
01:07:55,200 –> 01:08:01,920
you know had Elders come up to me crying because
of the fact that they have to deal you know with
563
01:08:01,920 –> 01:08:07,620
those mindsets at home that the these people that
that they trust and that they you know that they
564
01:08:07,620 –> 01:08:11,040
want to trust and that they want to believe in
like you said believe that they have heard best
565
01:08:11,040 –> 01:08:16,500
interests at hand unfortunately are falling into
these false hydrogen schemes even though we’re
566
01:08:16,500 –> 01:08:20,700
there you know even though they were there to
say you know no this is a continuation of this
567
01:08:20,700 –> 01:08:25,620
trade-off capitalist system that indigenous people
have always been you know a bargaining chip in
568
01:08:26,580 –> 01:08:32,160
um we’ve had to you know I think it’s it’s
just important to remember both sides and
569
01:08:32,160 –> 01:08:35,940
it’s it’s definitely really messy when you
know in some of these communities too when we
570
01:08:35,940 –> 01:08:41,520
get in you know we get into the money of it um
like I know especially yeah exactly especially
571
01:08:41,520 –> 01:08:46,320
um I think all of us now we get into you
know what the money the perfectly can bring
572
01:08:47,280 –> 01:08:52,920
um but I also know you know here in New Mexico
we have Elders you know found murdered uh
573
01:08:52,920 –> 01:08:57,600
with all that money uh just gone and so it’s
it’s been you know in all different kinds of
574
01:08:57,600 –> 01:09:01,620
words it’s just been violent uh upon you
know just violence Upon Our communities
575
01:09:02,760 –> 01:09:08,040
um and you know I think about you know we we
have uh fracking reality realities towards
576
01:09:08,040 –> 01:09:11,880
um here in New Mexico uh that if any
of you all ever come out we’d love to
577
01:09:11,880 –> 01:09:15,300
um you know facilitate and get you guys if
that’s something you would want to participate
578
01:09:16,380 –> 01:09:20,400
um but to see you know what this communities
are enduring on the front line of the extraction
579
01:09:21,360 –> 01:09:27,120
um it’s heartbreaking and it’s you know it’s
important to see and recognize it in you know
580
01:09:27,120 –> 01:09:31,380
there’s a community here in New Mexico and
counselor New Mexico over a billion dollars
581
01:09:31,380 –> 01:09:38,040
has been extracted in in the resources from
this community and and then you go and you see
582
01:09:38,040 –> 01:09:41,940
the community and you know you ask yourself
that question has has this community really
583
01:09:41,940 –> 01:09:46,920
benefited from you know over a billion dollars
being extracted like industry likes to say and
584
01:09:46,920 –> 01:09:50,400
taunt all the time you know that’s that’s what
they’re doing for our state and then you go
585
01:09:50,400 –> 01:09:54,480
see for yourself like is it really and it’s
it’s not you know we still have communities
586
01:09:54,480 –> 01:09:59,160
here that don’t have electricity that don’t
have running water that you know are fighting
587
01:09:59,160 –> 01:10:04,860
for these basic necessities and rights to be
met every single day still in the year 2023
588
01:10:05,940 –> 01:10:09,540
um but yeah I think yeah that’s that’s
what I would add on to your question
589
01:10:13,800 –> 01:10:16,560
thank you so much those are amazing Answers by the
590
01:10:16,560 –> 01:10:21,360
way I really appreciate it and I’m excited
that people got to tune in and hear that
591
01:10:23,340 –> 01:10:31,020
yeah sorry just to finish my previous thought and
I’m so sorry Jonathan I don’t think my mute was on
592
01:10:32,100 –> 01:10:40,560
um I made it made it snow so so to just to wrap
up we have the government the colonial structure
593
01:10:40,560 –> 01:10:47,100
we have our traditional elders and then we have a
lot of um just the community folks um some people
594
01:10:47,100 –> 01:10:57,000
engage in the political Mayhem some don’t um so
for Navajo Nation specifically we are constantly
595
01:10:57,000 –> 01:11:03,720
at odds with the government with the colonial
government and the people who I the work that
596
01:11:03,720 –> 01:11:10,380
I do and I’m sure this goes in line I I I don’t
want to speak for Jonathan and Julia but I think
597
01:11:10,380 –> 01:11:17,460
um all of us as indigenous people coming from
you know some teachings and and things that
598
01:11:17,460 –> 01:11:25,560
are our elders and our ancestors have maintained
for Generations um I think for me that’s what the
599
01:11:25,560 –> 01:11:34,320
work is about so it’s unfortunate that there’s
uranium at sacred places um so this is one of
600
01:11:34,320 –> 01:11:41,160
the big issues is protection of sacred sites um
people argue will all of Mother Earth is sacred
601
01:11:42,000 –> 01:11:49,020
um so we have a lot of our traditional ways
intact that our elders the traditional leaders
602
01:11:49,740 –> 01:11:57,000
um you know Advocate to protect while at the
same time the government is the Navajo Nation
603
01:11:57,000 –> 01:12:03,120
government is pushing for the fracking Jonathan
was mentioning so when Jonathan’s talking about
604
01:12:03,120 –> 01:12:12,660
Chaco Canyon my government wants to lessen the
protections that were put on around Chaco because
605
01:12:12,660 –> 01:12:20,760
those are thousand-year-old petroglyphs um that
the entire architecture everything it needs to be
606
01:12:20,760 –> 01:12:29,400
protected and maintained but because our colonial
government is charged or thinks they have to
607
01:12:29,400 –> 01:12:35,940
work toward economic development that’s that’s
where things got messed up with colonization I
608
01:12:35,940 –> 01:12:44,220
believe capitalism and all these other so-called
priorities have really impacted our traditional
609
01:12:44,220 –> 01:12:51,360
ways because we’re no longer dependent on you
know rain water especially with all the pfos
610
01:12:51,360 –> 01:13:00,060
now so so all of these things it’s up to us to
educate our elders and it’s the hardest thing I
611
01:13:00,060 –> 01:13:04,920
mean I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Congress
or lobbied in your state capital or even in your
612
01:13:04,920 –> 01:13:11,520
city council to me it’s the hardest thing to Lobby
our elders in the Navajo Nation government because
613
01:13:11,520 –> 01:13:18,060
those are the people I mean it’s easy for me to
yell at a non-native person in a in the colonial
614
01:13:18,060 –> 01:13:24,600
government it’s easy for me to protest in Santa
Fe um and that kind of thing but to go home and
615
01:13:24,600 –> 01:13:30,120
then have to convince your own people that no
this is not the right this is not a good idea
616
01:13:31,260 –> 01:13:37,680
um so for Navajo Nation again I’m in the city so
it’s a little bit hard for me um there’s a lot of
617
01:13:37,680 –> 01:13:45,180
people on the res on the Navajo Nation there’s a
lot of ngos and individual activists there’s a I
618
01:13:45,180 –> 01:13:50,520
would say a very strong movement and I think our
movements Jonathan mentioned the Pueblo Revolt
619
01:13:51,360 –> 01:13:58,080
um our people we’ve been fighting for a long
time and so I think it’s just in our nature but
620
01:13:58,080 –> 01:14:04,920
how we do it it’s incredibly nuanced because
of colonization because of the laws and like
621
01:14:04,920 –> 01:14:10,800
with uranium mining I’m dealing with nuclear stuff
that’s on the federal level but the state of New
622
01:14:10,800 –> 01:14:16,980
Mexico is like super pro-nuclear and that’s one of
the things I just wanted to wrap up with is we’re
623
01:14:16,980 –> 01:14:25,260
fighting on on on the Navajo Nation and New Mexico
there’s no mining right now but there is mining
624
01:14:25,260 –> 01:14:32,520
in the United States um when all of this stuff
happened with Russia invading Ukraine the United
625
01:14:32,520 –> 01:14:39,840
States lost their supply of uranium so where do we
get uranium I’m not sure but there’s a company I’m
626
01:14:39,840 –> 01:14:45,300
working on I’m wearing my hall no T-shirt we’re
fighting a uranium mine at the Grand Canyon so
627
01:14:45,300 –> 01:14:51,720
there is a push for domestic uranium mining um
so this is something I’m fighting and uranium
628
01:14:51,720 –> 01:14:57,960
feeds both the nuclear energy and nuclear weapons
which again going back to something Jonathan said
629
01:14:57,960 –> 01:15:02,520
about the United States being one of the biggest
polluters that’s also the United States military
630
01:15:03,420 –> 01:15:09,720
so we’re fighting all of these different issues
when it comes to uranium but nuclear energy is
631
01:15:09,720 –> 01:15:16,020
not a solution to climate change nuclear energy
is a false solution because you need fossil fuels
632
01:15:16,020 –> 01:15:23,340
to produce the energy the the fuel so uranium
doesn’t just come out of the ground magically
633
01:15:23,340 –> 01:15:30,360
and you can’t make uranium fuel from nuclear power
you you need to transport that stuff and you need
634
01:15:30,360 –> 01:15:37,200
a lot of other energy to make nuclear energy
and then afterwards the waste what do we do at
635
01:15:37,200 –> 01:15:43,620
the waist it’s forever so this is something I’ve
been talking to my elders about and um the nap
636
01:15:43,620 –> 01:15:48,240
of a Nation hasn’t taken a stance against this
nuclear waste dump that’s being proposed in New
637
01:15:48,240 –> 01:15:52,680
Mexico but this is one of the biggest fights
I’m a part of right now is to stop a nuclear
638
01:15:52,680 –> 01:15:57,660
waste dump it would be a national waste dump for
waste from all the commercial nuclear power plants
639
01:15:57,660 –> 01:16:03,360
so in the United States there’s nowhere to put
nuclear waste and this is one of the issues where
640
01:16:03,360 –> 01:16:09,900
having to educate not just our indigenous Elders
the Pueblos have done a great job in fighting the
641
01:16:09,900 –> 01:16:15,360
nuclear waste dump and coming out against it and
talking about climate and energy issues but it’s
642
01:16:15,360 –> 01:16:19,260
a lot harder for Navajo Nation when they’re
pushing the fracking and other stuff so I’ll
643
01:16:19,260 –> 01:16:27,120
just stop there it just takes a lot of work and it
does take patience and then using our culture to
644
01:16:27,120 –> 01:16:32,760
convince our elders this is you know this is not
the way to make money there’s other ways for us to
645
01:16:32,760 –> 01:16:38,580
protect our people and and that’s the hardest part
though is because of the money situation thanks
646
01:16:42,420 –> 01:16:46,920
and especially the money situation being something
that our communities were put in by the people
647
01:16:47,700 –> 01:16:51,360
that were fighting and so it’s
648
01:16:52,680 –> 01:16:56,340
I mean not gonna lie there are days where it’s
just completely disheartening because you feel
649
01:16:56,340 –> 01:17:01,740
like you’re fighting people on like at every
level every time you turn around it’s a fight
650
01:17:01,740 –> 01:17:07,320
and it’s like could I just have a day where I have
like one win even if it means I just made my bed
651
01:17:13,020 –> 01:17:19,260
one you know I mean I have there’s we could keep
this conversation going for a very long time and
652
01:17:19,260 –> 01:17:25,320
I hope that we can have more insta lives and and
you know keep the conversation happening between
653
01:17:25,320 –> 01:17:30,840
you all and have others join and um have folks
be able to like more directly ask you questions
654
01:17:30,840 –> 01:17:36,960
in this way because it’s nice to um you know
reach a different audience on Instagram and
655
01:17:36,960 –> 01:17:42,660
connect with different folks that maybe are not
connecting to the Hoodwinked webinars and zoom and
656
01:17:43,260 –> 01:17:49,740
All That Jazz um one quick question and I know we
gotta wrap up because I don’t want to take up too
657
01:17:49,740 –> 01:17:54,480
much of everyone’s time but you know hearing you
what you were just talking about Leona and you
658
01:17:54,480 –> 01:17:58,440
know what everyone’s been talking about like
someone who’s watching this you know I’m here
659
01:17:59,040 –> 01:18:07,200
um in New York City right now um what would you
recommend that folks who are not in New Mexico or
660
01:18:07,200 –> 01:18:13,980
you know not in these lands um would you recommend
like a certain way of getting involved like some
661
01:18:13,980 –> 01:18:23,160
action item or and or would you recommend just
you know starting local and tuning in to like you
662
01:18:23,160 –> 01:18:27,900
know what’s happening here locally because there’s
something happening everywhere right that we can
663
01:18:27,900 –> 01:18:35,700
all be way more involved in our local politics
and the local fights and um connecting with um
664
01:18:36,360 –> 01:18:40,140
you know I could go into millions of things
happening right here in New York but I won’t right
665
01:18:40,140 –> 01:18:47,400
now sure I can jump in because I want to give the
last word to either shower Jonathan so so I think
666
01:18:47,400 –> 01:18:53,640
the ansan nuclear movement in the United States
is an interesting um place and and I don’t think
667
01:18:53,640 –> 01:18:59,940
anyone needs to join it per se or to be honest
I don’t think people need to join organizations
668
01:18:59,940 –> 01:19:04,860
I mean I think it’s good to start your own
organization if you have a group of people
669
01:19:06,000 –> 01:19:11,760
um to do some work but I I do believe
strongly in strategic planning to to
670
01:19:11,760 –> 01:19:18,000
figure out what is the issue and then how
to go about you know figuring out what to do
671
01:19:19,080 –> 01:19:26,100
um so um in New York there’s Indian Point so I’m
fighting a company called whole Tech and I think
672
01:19:26,100 –> 01:19:31,860
one way that we can connect is to fight whole Tech
all over the world for people that want to fight
673
01:19:31,860 –> 01:19:38,280
nuclear stuff and there’s people in New York City
already organized but like I said you don’t have
674
01:19:38,280 –> 01:19:44,460
to join their group there’s ways you can talk to
your own elected officials or just educate other
675
01:19:44,460 –> 01:19:51,000
people because right now whole Tech wants to dump
a million or so many gallons of radioactive water
676
01:19:51,000 –> 01:19:56,100
from the power plant they just bought which is
about 30 miles north of the city so they want
677
01:19:56,100 –> 01:20:02,280
to put that radioactive water in the Hudson and I
don’t think people in New York City want that but
678
01:20:02,280 –> 01:20:07,140
the thing is they don’t know about it so how do
people fight something they don’t know about I I
679
01:20:07,140 –> 01:20:12,900
mean so that’s one thing is just to talk about it
um and and so Indian Point is a power plant north
680
01:20:12,900 –> 01:20:18,600
of New York City whole Tech owns power plants
they’ve been buying them all over the place but
681
01:20:18,600 –> 01:20:22,860
you don’t have to fight like I said you don’t
have to fight nuclear I think the easiest thing
682
01:20:22,860 –> 01:20:28,740
and I do believe it’s important to write letters
to your elected officials even just a quick email
683
01:20:28,740 –> 01:20:33,900
that says hey I was on this webinar and I learned
about this nuclear thing especially if you have
684
01:20:33,900 –> 01:20:39,960
nuclear stuff in your state you can focus on one
issue but um the nuclear waste dump I mentioned
685
01:20:39,960 –> 01:20:46,500
it’s going to have National transport so there’s
National issues that affect everybody across the
686
01:20:46,500 –> 01:20:54,000
board but I think you said it already Laura just
start locally on your own concern I know I was I
687
01:20:54,000 –> 01:21:00,900
met my first EJ training I met a bunch of teenage
women uh doing something because the nail salon
688
01:21:00,900 –> 01:21:06,780
was contaminating their their neighborhood and
I thought that was really interesting and and so
689
01:21:06,780 –> 01:21:12,360
it’s kind of the same issue but it’s different
things in our environments hurting us and so
690
01:21:12,360 –> 01:21:19,320
I think I think it’s just educating people and
then taking whatever appropriate action direct
691
01:21:19,320 –> 01:21:24,720
action political action spiritual doing your
prayers that’s really important I think for
692
01:21:24,720 –> 01:21:31,140
indigenous peoples to have those Protections
in place so that’s where I’ll leave it thanks
693
01:21:36,420 –> 01:21:41,040
um Shaw and Jonathan would either of you
like to share some some final thoughts it
694
01:21:41,040 –> 01:21:47,340
can be on that question or you know some final
parting thoughts for our loyal followers who’ve
695
01:21:47,340 –> 01:21:50,520
been watching or folks who’ve tuned
in more recently thanks to everyone
696
01:22:03,180 –> 01:22:07,320
um yeah no I was just gonna say um I would
definitely agree you know get involved locally
697
01:22:07,860 –> 01:22:12,840
um you know we have indigenous people everywhere
in this country and and beyond that are fighting
698
01:22:12,840 –> 01:22:19,380
against you know these same institutions of
militarization of extractive Industries um and
699
01:22:19,380 –> 01:22:25,380
just you know all of these things are intertwined
um definitely you know there’s like lyanna said
700
01:22:25,380 –> 01:22:30,060
there are different Paths of you know you need
organizations to kind of help you find that and
701
01:22:30,060 –> 01:22:34,560
navigate that political landscape there’s tons
that you can get involved in or you can you know
702
01:22:34,560 –> 01:22:39,780
definitely you know just stay as an individual
and participate in you know whatever ways Your
703
01:22:39,780 –> 01:22:43,860
Capacity allows I think but something really
beautiful about these movement spaces as well
704
01:22:43,860 –> 01:22:50,760
is that there’s truly you know spaces for everyone
um just whatever you know skill set that you have
705
01:22:50,760 –> 01:22:55,560
to offer there are different ways that you can uh
contribute to any movement that you’re called to
706
01:22:56,820 –> 01:23:01,200
um but yeah I think I see comments yeah we uh
we have our nail file Solutions Coalition here
707
01:23:01,200 –> 01:23:07,080
in New Mexico um we’re going to be continuing uh
to stand up against these uh proposed hydrogen
708
01:23:07,080 –> 01:23:14,520
production legislation and hydrogen hubs um I know
that there is a like Southwest or uh try try West
709
01:23:14,520 –> 01:23:21,420
Mountain Coalition of things like New Mexico
Arizona Colorado and Utah an on Charlie shirt
710
01:23:21,420 –> 01:23:27,480
but there are where they’re uh kind of proposed
other hydrogen uh hydrogen hubs and hydrogen uh
711
01:23:27,480 –> 01:23:32,280
legislation as well um but yeah just anywhere that
you can get involved I would definitely encourage
712
01:23:33,000 –> 01:23:40,620
um especially you know young people young people
of color um yeah and I will yeah there you go
713
01:23:43,800 –> 01:23:45,900
last word no pressure um
714
01:23:47,940 –> 01:23:52,980
um so I I when I introduced myself I had
mentioned this and this is this is one of
715
01:23:52,980 –> 01:24:00,420
my major soapboxes this is a hill I will die
on and that is things like solidarity Mutual
716
01:24:00,420 –> 01:24:05,760
aid for a lot of people these feel like really
revolutionary things but for some of us these
717
01:24:05,760 –> 01:24:12,000
things are actually just part of the culture
and so I am constantly reminding people that
718
01:24:12,000 –> 01:24:18,840
solidarity is not theoretical it is not abstract
it is literally building relationships and not
719
01:24:18,840 –> 01:24:24,540
transactional relationships because that is how
the colonizers got us you cannot build solidarity
720
01:24:24,540 –> 01:24:30,420
on transactional relationships solidarity is
rooted in hey I met Jonathan and Leona through
721
01:24:30,420 –> 01:24:36,960
this this IG live I’m really interested in what
they do I care about them and their movement
722
01:24:36,960 –> 01:24:45,540
and in order to honor my ancestors because I’m a
settler here I support them whatever I can do to
723
01:24:45,540 –> 01:24:52,800
amplify them to uplift whatever they have going on
right now even that so like go follow everyone who
724
01:24:52,800 –> 01:24:57,240
you’ve seen here follow who they follow see what
they’re putting in their stories and re-sharing
725
01:24:57,780 –> 01:25:02,940
and reach out to people online I I make it a
point whether it’s through Pacifica Uprising
726
01:25:02,940 –> 01:25:09,600
or through my personal account to be very
accessible um because I’m an introvert and
727
01:25:09,600 –> 01:25:14,100
I don’t necessarily like going outside and
being around people but I’m a firm believer
728
01:25:14,700 –> 01:25:21,240
with 20 plus years experience in building digital
Community Pacifica Uprising has a small board of
729
01:25:21,240 –> 01:25:30,240
directors there are three of them plus me as the
Ed we have never met in person all together um we
730
01:25:30,240 –> 01:25:35,220
have members who have never met at all but these
are people that I’ve been building with for years
731
01:25:36,060 –> 01:25:42,300
because digital Community is just as important
as in-person community and when you connect with
732
01:25:42,300 –> 01:25:48,840
people and you can see where your movement spaces
are related because everything is interconnected
733
01:25:49,560 –> 01:25:54,300
you can help each other whether you’re in that
space with them or not and even if it is just
734
01:25:54,300 –> 01:26:00,420
sharing their story you can be a base that is
nurturing that flower and someone else sees it and
735
01:26:00,420 –> 01:26:06,060
goes out and spreads that story and lets people
know and even if that’s all you can do don’t ever
736
01:26:06,060 –> 01:26:11,220
listen to anyone who’s calling you like a keyboard
Warrior like share stories make sure people hear
737
01:26:11,220 –> 01:26:19,080
about it Grassroots over big time like mainstream
media this is how things get done this is how
738
01:26:19,080 –> 01:26:23,520
we’ve always gotten things done if it weren’t for
my ancestors doing it I wouldn’t be here today
739
01:26:24,240 –> 01:26:28,860
so like in the Pacific we rely on coconut
Wireless different communities have their
740
01:26:28,860 –> 01:26:33,900
own setup do that share it with your friends and
if you have questions reach out to those accounts
741
01:26:33,900 –> 01:26:38,940
like whether you’re interested in abolition
bodily autonomy climate Justice all of this
742
01:26:38,940 –> 01:26:45,480
is interconnected so just reach out to someone
ask if they know anyone in your area and connect
743
01:26:45,480 –> 01:26:51,540
and really have those relationships like build
real relationships and that is the one thing
744
01:26:51,540 –> 01:27:00,300
the enemy the oppressor does not want to
see us do so do it and that’s my soapbox
745
01:27:14,400 –> 01:27:18,780
and now I want to play with these filters
like the other because these look fun
746
01:27:21,660 –> 01:27:27,720
I’m trying to send Hearts I think when you’re
a presenter I don’t think you can send Hearts
747
01:27:27,720 –> 01:27:36,480
so I don’t like that okay thank you so much
Laura I don’t know if you’re you froze maybe
748
01:27:37,380 –> 01:27:44,160
um but uh I’m probably gonna hop off here soon
yeah I don’t know what happened Laura froze on
749
01:27:44,160 –> 01:27:48,420
my end too but same thank you so much I’m
definitely will definitely continue to be
750
01:27:48,420 –> 01:27:52,200
in touch and you know like you just said
we’ll definitely be in solidarity and I’ll
751
01:27:52,200 –> 01:27:57,480
be supporting uh both of you in all the ways
that I can absolutely same thing from our end
752
01:27:57,480 –> 01:28:02,820
yeah I’m looking forward to learning more about
your work and I I know we’re already connected
753
01:28:02,820 –> 01:28:08,700
now so we’ll we can basically my cousins now so
whatever you need I’m here to uplift and amplify
754
01:28:09,240 –> 01:28:15,960
awesome love it all right well I’m gonna jump
off I don’t know you guys have a great evening