Being a good ally
Three Indigenous women share thoughts on supporting movements
Three Indigenous women shared their thoughts last week about considerations for non-Indigenous people seeking to be allies in struggles to protect water and land.
Their comments were made during a Greenpeace webinar last week related to this month’s court trial about the Standing Rock actions in 2016 to protect the Missouri River from the Dakota Access Pipeline. Their comments on this topic, shared during the Feb. 27 webinar, are below.
Crystal Cavalier-Keck
Dr. Crystal Cavalier-Keck is the co-founder of Seven Directions of Service with her husband. She is a citizen of the Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation in Burlington, North Carolina. Her doctoral dissertation focused on the social justice issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women in frontline communities of gas/oil pipelines.
“We must understand solidarity is a relationship, not a one-time action. It requires humility, consistency, and a willingness to learn—and unlearn, which can be uncomfortable sometimes. Mutual respect, long-term commitment. Revitalizing our cultural connections—especially the relationships with the land and water.
“They always want to say it’s a protest or, you know, stopping a specific project. But this is about deep, long-term community building.
“We really need allies and accomplices to show up and stand up with us, and to help hold these corporations and governments accountable. Because this is a fight for all of us, because when the land and water is destroyed, we will all suffer.
“How non-Indigenous allies can show up in solidarity:
“One, respect and amplify Indigenous leadership. You know, we’ve been fighting to protect the land and water for generations. Listen to frontline communities. Support Indigenous-led organizations. And follow the guidance of those who have been directly impacted.
“Show up physically. We need people at hearings, at rallies, in courtrooms and at community meetings, where these decisions are being made. Pipeline companies and government agencies count on people being too busy or discouraged to fight back. But when allies pack these spaces and bear witness, we shift the narrative and show that people are paying attention.
“Educate your communities. Many people don’t realize the full extent of environmental destruction that these projects can cause.
“So, help spread awareness through your networks, right? Host events. Share resources and talk to your community representatives about these issues.
“And then, also support direct action and legal battles. Indigenous water protectors and land defenders—we often face legal threats. We often face intimidation and arrest. And donations to legal defense funds, travel support for impacted communities, and media amplification are always (a way) to stand in solidarity.
“And then, again, divest from fossil fuels. Large banks, pension funds, financial institutions are propping up these projects. Divest from these companies. We need to push for divestment from fossil fuels and reinvest in Indigenous-led climate solutions. (This) is one of the most impactful, long-term strategies for dismantling the industry.
“And then finally, like I said earlier, recognize that this is a human rights issue. Environmental destruction disproportionately affects Indigenous, Black and frontline communities. The fight against fossil fuel expansion is not just about climate. It’s about protecting human rights, sacred sites and the survival of cultures that have existed on this land for millennia.
“And at the end of the day, again, this is about solidarity, not charity. Indigenous communities, we have this knowledge, the leadership and the strength to fight these battles. But we need you allies to show up and accomplices to get arrested with us, stand with us and help hold governments and corporations accountable.
“The question is not whether people should take action, but rather what will you do to stand in defense of the future.”
Christa Mancias-Zapata
Christa Mancias-Zapata is an activist and member of the Carrizo/Comecrudo tribe in southern Texas.
“How I move and I give advice, is this is not a race. If you’re going to organize, it’s going to be a marathon. Because the (more) the community is informed and together, the stronger and more impactful the fight. If you have all the knowledge and the information for the fight, it’s going to be just so much more impactful.
“We work with facts. We have facts that back up what the land means to the people—what is so important or significant that is there.
“We understand that we’re always protecting the land and water. We’re never protesting the land or water. We are protecting it. We’re not protesters. We’re protectors. Because that’s, it’s just a part of who we are.”
Waniya Locke
Waniya Locke is a former Lakota language instructor and community member of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. She helped launch the 2016 water protection efforts.
“To be a really good ally to Indigenous:
“One, no matter where you are at, you are on stolen land, and there’s an Indigenous community there. You cannot go anywhere across Turtle Island, also known as the United States of America, and not have an Indigenous community there. There is an Indigenous community there. Find them and support them.
“Two, educate yourself. Don’t expect the community to educate you on their own history. Start looking them up, seeing what they’re fighting, getting their history.
“And then three, a reminder that everyone has something they can contribute. Introverts have a space in movement. They may not want to talk to people or be around people, but they can be a keyboard warrior. Or if you’re an artist, you can create a graphic or a painting. If you’re a musician, you can create a song. There’s always a space in movement.
“I see people keep telling people in the comments to write to your congresspeople. You can. That’s another avenue. There’re all kinds of avenues within movements to protect the land and water and being allies to Indigenous people.
“And so, when you are contacting your congresspeople, remind them that they are on Indigenous land and that there’s Indigenous people here. They’re still here.
“The fourth thing I really want to leave on is acknowledging your own self privilege and your own bias. Recognizing that privilege and recognizing your own bias so that way you’re not harming the community that you’re trying to stand in solidarity with.
“Everyone is a solution to every problem that we face. Everyone within this webinar, anyone who’s working on anything. Anyone who’s organizing on anything.
“We are the solution to every single problem that we face, straight across the board from environmental justice to social justice to the current administration that we’ve got, to the fossil fuel industry to the military policing. I mean, the list can go on and on and it can be very overwhelming. But we are the solution.”