November 9, 2016
Indigenous Alliance meeting today
Several American ethnic studies faculty and student organizations are collaborating to raise awareness and mobilize local and campus efforts to support Indigenous water protectors and those who stand in solidarity in North Dakota.
Based on feedback from an October Standing Rock Teach-in, a discussion to organize support for the Indigenous water protectors in North Dakota will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, in 208 K-State Student Union.
This project is a collaboration with Feminists Igniting Resistance and Empowerment, or FIRE; the American Ethnic Studies Student Association, or AESSA; Ecumenical Campus Ministry and the Indigenous Alliance.
Led by April Petillo, assistant professor of American ethnic studies, the teach-in presented participants with information and space for discussion about the Dakota Access Pipeline and its potential impact on all of our lives. The teach-in featured screenings of Winona LaDuke's (Anishinaabe) on-the-ground analysis of the large coalitional Indigenous movement, Indigenous hip hop and spoken word performances by Def-I (Dine) and Winona Linn (Meskwaki), and a live spoken word performance by Alonso Peña, junior in American ethnic studies and president of AESSA.
The teach-in concluded with FIRE-led efforts to harness local community resources and organize donation collections of items to support Indigenous water protectors on the frontlines of the struggle. FIRE welcomes conversations with other interested individuals and group members of the campus community who wish to be a part of these efforts.
If you are interested in helping, please contact Lain Littlejohn at alaina@k-state.edu.