| Message from IEN Executive Director Tom BK Goldtooth |
| For IEN, partners and allies, calendar year 2018 was an extraordinarily busy year, dominated by Indigenous grassroots and front line organizations allied collaboration. Native Nations and allies came together in strategic opposition to an ever-increasing push by corporate and government factions to expand the extractive economy beyond Mother Earth’s capacity, at the peril of her children and future generations. Our prairie lands, desert areas, forests, rivers, lakes, mountains, arctic areas and oceans are falling victim to out of control consumerism and a political system that does not understand the territorial and sacred integrity and the inherent rights of Mother Earth and Father Sky, .
From the momentum of “Stand with Standing Rock” many lessons were learned as we looked at the value of our resistance that is rooted in indigenous ceremony and indigenous knowledge. We are carrying that energy forward to provide our communities with the tools they need to build and sustain the power to honor and protect the sacred gifts of life we depend on… not just to survive but to adapt and thrive in a rapidly changing climate and environment. IEN, along with our partners and allies have challenged and taken on the corporations and factions of corrupt governments whose only objective is to dig, cut, burn, drill, and profit with their endless industrial extraction and pollution of Earth’s natural systems and what many Indigenous Peoples call the “Circle of Life.” Now is the time to break this cycle; this cycle of governments and corporations privatizing, commodifying and enslaving nature as property, including the very air we breathe. The powers that be have found ways to exact a price on everything from the privatization of water to carbon trading, carbon pricing and offset mechanisms, and profit from these false solutions to climate change, including techno-fixes that elevates disaster capitalism to new and terrifying heights. IEN speaks for those who have long been forced to be silent as we suffer from the exponential expansion of economic globalization that has given rise to consolidation of control that threatens our ecosystems, food sovereignty, economic stability, Indigenous rights, rights of future generations and of Mother Earth. We acknowledge a statement made at a climate change meeting in 1998 by Indigenous Peoples of the United States attended by Tribal Nations, grassroots and spiritual leaders, that clearly articulated: “The Creator has entrusted us a sacred responsibility to protect and care for the land and all of life, as well as to safeguard its well being for future generations to come”. During this last year we have added to our staff, welcomed new partners and allies, and accepted the challenge to strengthen our base, grow our network and build the movement. Looking back, we’ve continued to build on the momentum from our Keep It In the Ground direct actions with the Just Transition campaign and Regenerative Community Loan Fund. We added an innovative grassroots feminist movement, which has fostered greater unity with the grounding influence of Indigenous women. We are thankful for the clarity and substantive success of the multicultural allied movement, It Takes Roots. Led by Indigenous Peoples, Peoples of Color, women, and the gender oppressed, ITR has fostered collaborative strength around the shared vision of systems change that will help eliminate the oppressive policies of environmental, housing, climate, economic, and social injustice. We’ve bid farewell to others as they take on new challenges in service of their Tribal Nations and to their personal visions and dreams. In this edition of IEN’s email newsletter, we’ve put together a short recap of the highlights of the last year (below). Many of you have joined us in the marches and actions, conferences and gatherings, workshops, either in person or with your generous donations. Everything we’ve been able to accomplish in 2018 and in the previous 27 years has been due in large part to your attention and dedication to our mission and goals. At this time, we humbly ask for your continued support so that we can continue fighting for Indigenous rights, for environmental and economic justice, for climate and social justice, food sovereignty and Just Transition. If you are able, you can make a secure year-end, tax deductible donation here. If you aren’t able to make a monetary donation at this time there are other ways in which you can contribute that are welcome and needed as well. You can join the conversation and share our posts on IEN’s Facebook and our companion Indigenous Rising Media Facebook pages, follow, RT and comment at Twitter, view and like our Instagram images, and read and share our stories and op-eds on Medium. Share this newsletter with family and friends and encourage them to signup for monthly updates from us. For EVERYONE who has already donated these last few months we can’t thank you enough! Our gratitude for your generosity goes far beyond the largely inadequate words of Thank you. We do what we do for the well-being of the Next Seven Generations. May the new year bring health and well being to you and yours, Tom BK Goldtooth
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We welcome Bineshi Albert to our IEN family. Bineshi will be leading our Movement Building Initiative, a 4-year project with goals toward advancing IEN’s work within broader movements for social change, building place-based power, building alignment with other alliances and movements, creating unity to shift collective power, gather popular momentum, and expanding IEN’s reach and influence around a common platform for systemic change.
Last year we were fortunate that Loren White joined our family as the Community Development Coordinator. Since early in 2018 he has been working with Indigenous frontline communities to help design and develop, along with manage and maintain the collaborative Regenerative Community Loan Fund. He is also assisting in bringing to fruition their projects that reflect their visions of sustainability and equity, based on the Principles of Just Transition. We will be talking more about these in 2019 as he works with additional communities across Indian Country.
ewell and best of luck Jade! Jade Begay took on the challenging task of coordinating and leading our digital media team and collaborate on projects with our partners and allies. She used her many talents and unique understanding for producing powerful presentations that underscored the issues, reinforced the messages from Indigenous community leaders at our direct actions, and skillfully clarified the heart of the issues most affecting Indigenous and front line communities. We’ll miss her but know she will be wherever the action is and shine a clear light on the issues that need illuminating.
We also bid farewell to Joseph WhiteEyes, IEN youth organizer and frontline water protector. He guided other Indigenous Youth on the front lines during some of our most challenging direct actions. Joseph was a inspirational guide for his contemporaries and as he grows in the movement we’re sure he will do good things in service for the People. We’ll all miss working directly with you but know we’re with you in spirit, always.