Overturning Roe v. Wade further harms Native women
National Native org says decision violates a “sacred right”
Washington, DC —Native Organizers Alliance responds to the decision by the Supreme Court to
overturn Roe v. Wade. The following statement from Judith LeBlanc, executive director of
Native Organizers Alliance, can be quoted in-full or in-part.
“Overturning Roe v. Wade is another blow to the sovereignty of Native women over their own
bodies. We are just a few decades away from the forced sterilization of Native women by the U.S.
government, and today’s decision is another violation of our most sacred right to bodily
autonomy.
Native women are 2 to 3 times more likely to die in pregnancy than white women, according to
the Centers for Disease Control. Our women are already dying in childbirth. And the Court’s
decision today puts even more at risk by forcing at-risk pregnant women to carry a pregnancy to
term.
The decision ignores the humanity and rights of victims of violence. One in 3 Native women will
experience violence, including sexual violence, in their lifetime. They are also more likely to be
victims of sex trafficking. The Supreme Court has sentenced these women to a full-term
pregnancy that has resulted from sexual violence. It is the ultimate violation of their rights.
Native Organizers Alliance has seen the power of our people when we unite to defend our rights.
The fight isn’t over, and we will do all we can to support tribes and Native organizations in their
work to protect and defend reproductive rights.”
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Contact:
Brad Angerman, Pyramid Communications
bangerman@pyramidcommunications.com
702-218-4490
NOA responds to Biden announcement on treaty protections
The Biden administration is set to announce a memorandum of understanding from 18 federal agencies to protect tribal treaty rights. The MOU’s from the departments of Agriculture, Defense, Commerce, Education, Energy, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Justice, Labor, Transportation, Veterans Affairs, State, and the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Personnel Management, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation and the Council on Environmental Quality are ordered to issue reports on their efforts to strengthen treaty protections within the next 180 days.
President Biden’s announcement comes after a journey thousands of miles across Indian Country, and countless prayers offered from Native peoples across the nation, that the federal government do more to protect our most sacred places. Our people have spoken across Indian Country, saying enough is enough. Our sacred sites must be protected and our treaty rights upheld.
More than 85,000 people signed a petition calling on President Biden to direct federal agencies to uphold the treaties and gain the consent of tribes in infrastructure and development projects.
We urge each agency to craft an MOU that not only respects treaty rights but acknowledges the great harm done when tribes and Native peoples are not given the opportunity to consent to projects affecting their lands, waters, and resources. It is not enough to check a box to “consult” with tribes with projects like dams, mines, and oil pipelines. The treaties demand that tribes give their consent to these projects. This failure of agencies to gain the free, prior, and informed consent of tribes is a violation of treaty rights and a flawed process that leads to the desecration of our sacred sites.
For generations, the federal government has failed to follow through on its commitment to tribes. This failure has led to the destruction and desecration of our sacred lands, waters, and resources. Promises were made to our ancestors but never kept. We are hopeful that today’s announcement directing federal agencies to strengthen treaty protections is a critical step towards upholding our tribal treaty rights.
Natives Vote
The 2020 election is an inflection point to further build Native peoples’ visibility and political power by ensuring that Native voices are heard. Our communities have untapped power because of our history, our ancestors—we must use it in many ways from the streets to the ballot box. Our collective power is necessary to move our work forward.
Natives Vote is a collaboration between IllumiNative, Native Organizers Alliance and First Peoples Worldwide. Our organizations have joined together to provide information, resources, and content to drive voter engagement in Indian Country.
Under this campaign, we are commissioning art from at least 50 Native artists including a collaboration between fashion designer Bethany Yellowtail and Steven Paul Judd with a line of apparel available at B. Yellowtail.com
We hosted two impactful virtual town halls on Facebook Live about the importance of voting and representation on Sept. 22, National Voter Registration Day, and Oct. 14.
NOA joins Standing Rock demonstrations at Clinton HQ
Join the Native Organizers Alliance, Indigenous Environmental Network, Indigenous Peoples Power Project and 10 Standing Rock high school students at Noon Oct 27 at the Brooklyn Promenade at the end of Pierre Street for a water ceremony.
Hillary Clinton-Stand with Standing Rock
We, the young people of Oceti Sakowin, the Seven Council Fires, and the Standing Rock Sioux Nation are calling for Hillary Clinton — the next President of the United States of America– to stand with us against the Dakota Access Pipeline.
On Thursday, October 27th, 2016, Our youth delegation will travel from unceded territory on the Sovereign Standing Rock Nation in North Dakota to Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Headquarters in New York City to respectfully demand that she Speak Out against DAPL, Commit to standing with Standing Rock, and stand On the right side of history.
THIS IS A CALL OUT TO ALL WATER PROTECTORS FOR SOLIDARITY ACTIONS. THE TIME TO PROTECT THE FUTURE IS NOW.
This Thursday, as Our relatives stay Strong On the frontlines in Cannonball, We are asking everyone across Turtle Island to mobilize at a Hillary campaign Office near you. Organize. Rally. Flood her with phone calls. Plan a prayerful demonstration. Call your local media. Make the frontlines visible in your town. Make Sure Hillary Can’t look away.
Mni Wiconi. Water is life
Garrett Joseph
James Hairychin
Maya Monroe Runnels
William Clayton Brownotter Jr.
Kenyon Wallace Uses Arrow
Daniel Stephan Grassrope
Marilyn Uli Ann Fox
Annalee Rain Yellow Hammer
Gracey Rae Claymore
Adam Jacob Palaniuk
Tokata Chase Iron Eyes
Victory at Standing Rock Shows Power of People & Protest
For Immediate Release
September 9, 2016
Contact:
Judith LeBlanc, judithleblanc1@gmail.com, 917-806-8775
Kathy Mulady, 206-992-8787, k.mulady@peoplesaction.org
Jacob Swenson-Lengyel, 312-316-3973, jacob.sl@peoplesaction.org
Native Organizers Praise Government Decision to
Halt Construction of Dakota Access Pipeline
Washington, D.C. – After the disappointing decision by a federal judge on Friday to deny an injunction protecting Native lands threatened by the Dakota Access Pipeline, the Obama administration issued a statement halting pipeline construction. The statement is welcomed by the thousands of Native and non-Native activists who have gathered in protest against the project.
The joint statement today by the Departments of the Army, Justice and Interior halts construction in the area around Lake Oahe in North Dakota while the concerns raised by tribal leaders are properly reviewed. Earlier in the day, the ruling of the District Court would have allowed construction to continue despite the threat to sacred sites and the drinking water of the nearby Standing Rock Sioux Tribe.
“The joint statement by the DOJ and other agencies makes it clear that the process used to approve this pipeline’s construction was insufficient and did not fully take into account the environmental impact or the rights of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and other Native peoples,” said Judith LeBlanc, director of the Native Organizers Alliance and a member of the Caddo Tribe of Oklahoma.
“Tribes from across Indian Country have drawn the line here with the largest show of unity and grassroots power in our history,” said LeBlanc.
“The fight isn’t over. American Indians will continue to lead this movement to save Mother Earth because our ancestors are depending on us to protect the water and land for our people, and for humanity” said LeBlanc.
“We cannot and should not allow our culture, our land, and Mother Earth to be put at risk for private gain.”
“The administration clearly recognizes the inalienable right of tribal sovereignty when it comes to protecting our people and Mother Earth,” said LeBlanc.
LeeAnn Hall, co-executive director of People’s Action Institute, a partner with the Native Organizers Alliance, said the decision to stop construction never would have happened without the enormous courage of Native people and supporters from around the country who stood with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe to defend sacred lands and the water we all depend on.
“This Native-led movement proves the power of people, and the power of peaceful direct action,” Hall said. “It was the people who won this important moment.”
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Native Organizers Alliance, a project of People’s Action Institute, is dedicated to building the organizing capacity of Native organizers and groups building grassroots power for change among native peoples across the continent.
People’s Action Institute is a national organization fighting for democracy and economic fairness, with more than a million volunteers in 29 states. From family farms to big cities, from coast to coast, we push for community over greed, justice over racism, and people and planet over corporations.
