If you were one of the 300,000 people that marched through the streets of New York City in September of 2014 at the People’s Climate March (or if you read Resist’s 2014 Annual Report Edition of the Newsletter in which the march graced the cover), you were probably moved by the lead banner that read, “Frontlines of the Crises, Forefront of Change.” The people holding this banner (as well as leading this movement) were all from communities that are enduring the most disastrous effects of climate change.
One of the principles we hold dear here at Resist is that social movements are most powerful when those who are most impacted by the systems we aim to change are the ones leading them. And when those communities speak and take action, others should listen and be in solidarity. Indigenous communities across the globe are bearing the brunt of our immoral economic system which is destroying our land, water, and air. Moreover, those who contributed the least to the emissions of carbon around the world are the ones being impacted the most by climate change. Those who rely on and respect Mother Earth are the communities that are quite literally on the frontlines of this crises. Melting glaciers, prolonged droughts, rising tides, and destructive storms won’t stop this movement and neither will the powerful industries we are up against.
One of Resist’s earliest grants was to the American Indian Movement (AIM). At the time, they were fighting for sovereignty, rights, and justice for Indigenous peoples. Five decades later, the struggle has not only continued, but expanded. But there is hope. That is why this Newsletter is dedicated to those indigenous communities that have been resisting for centuries and continuously organize and take action in the most beautiful and brave ways possible. In the words of Leonard Peltier, “We need to do more than just what is right. We need to join together and right what is wrong.”
To joining together and righting wrongs,
Resist Staff