Indigenous Environmental Activism

Topic Overview

Indigenous environmental activism is oftentimes swept under the rug and the efforts made by these communities go unnoticed. The main focus for my topic is Indigenous environmental activism and how these communities fight for more sustainable practices to help not only their native lands, but also the environment on a global scale. I specifically want to talk about recent protests that occurred in 2016 in opposition of the Dakota Access Pipeline. 

Unknowingly to most Americans, Indigenous history and their cultural ties to the land they call home have been destroyed for centuries and even continues today in an effort to benefit the American economy – acts of greed and land degradation have led to Indigenous people essentially fighting for rights that were always meant to be innate. The ways in which these communities protest today is similar to the way they protested over 50 years ago for their rights to be taken seriously.

I'm hoping that by learning about my topic, student can start being aware of the fact that Indigenous environmental activism opens the door for them to examine other environmental challenges that  globally underserved communities face everyday. Learning about their activism can encourage students, like you, to learn how to take more steps to address things like climate change by promoting more environmentally conscious actions to the US government and protecting Indigenous people, their rights, and the environment.