People’s Tribune Water Discussion Webinar Series
The People’s Tribune water discussion group presented a webinar on water titled “Water Is Life: An Indigenous Perspective“on March 25. This webinar, sponsored by the People’s Tribune/Tribuno del Pueblo, Our Illinois Revolution, People’s Water Board, Denmark Citizens for Safe Water, Youth for Global Health & Social Justice & Walk Around the World for Water, Democracy Defense League, and many others from across the country, heard from Indigenous voices. It was the first in a series of webinars under the theme “Quench: Voices from Communities on the Frontlines of Our Water Crisis.”
Panelists included Tania Aubid, front-line Indigenous water protector from the (Enbridge) Pipeline 3 Encampment; Adrian Herder, Dine Nation of the Black Mesa of the Navajo Nation; Saundi McClain Kloeckner,Native Women’s Care Circle of Cahokia, Illinois; and Saul Levin, environmental policy writer for Congresswoman Cori Bush. Short excerpts from the panelists’ presentations are below.
Tania: “I was on a hunger strike for 38 days fighting to stop Line 3. I appreciate the group here, Quench, because in reality we will at some point in our day get thirsty and rely upon our water to give us that healthy drink. And the wild rice is vitally important for the Anishinaabeg people as part of their dietary needs and their economy. So I’m doing my best to fight for the 5% of the world’s fresh clean water. This pipeline needs to be cancelled.”
Adrian: “My organization in English means “Sacred Water Speaks.” We don’t have water here in our homes but back in the ’50’s and ’60’s in my parents’ youth, they had access to pristine well water from the aquifer on Black Mesa. Then Peabody Coal came in [creating] one of the largest open pit mines in the world. Peabody has [been draining] our aquifer to slurry the coal and transport it 270 plus miles to the Mojave Generating plant in Nevada. The ground is fissured from loss of the water. We (the youth) began to educate the people. There’s a need to be aware of what’s going on in our backyards. I fear that this state (Arizona) might come after our water so we have to be very careful what happens with these legislations.”
Saul: “We have an important window right now where people [in government] are spending money based on actual needs . . . they’ve been spurred to action by the Coronavirus pandemic. Congresswoman Cori bush used to be an unhoused person who couldn’t afford AC when housed or heat in the winter in St. Louis so there’s these types of experiences in what we’re legislating based on the crisis . . . right now.”
Saundi: “What will you do for the water? We are water. You need to go back to what this land was and that doesn’t mean you have to give up your electricity. It’s all about respect and using our resources in good ways. The big thing is privatization. When you start putting money onto water-that means that it’s not a human right to have it.”
The next webinar will be on the fight for clean and affordable water in Michigan on Thursday, April 29. Follow the links below for details.
To view the webinar visit the following sites:
https://www.facebook.com/watervoices
https://www.facebook.com/peoplestrib
