The story of Native
peoples' resistance to environmental injustice and land incursions,
and a call for environmentalists to learn from the Indigenous
community's rich history of activism
Through the unique
lens of "Indigenized environmental justice," Indigenous
researcher and activist Dina Gilio-Whitaker explores the fraught
history of treaty violations, struggles for food and water security,
and protection of sacred sites, while highlighting the important
leadership of Indigenous women in this centuries-long struggle. As
Long As Grass Grows gives readers an accessible history of Indigenous
resistance to government and corporate incursions on their lands and
offers new approaches to environmental justice activism and policy.
Throughout 2016, the
Standing Rock protest put a national spotlight on Indigenous
activists, but it also underscored how little Americans know about
the longtime historical tensions between Native peoples and the
mainstream environmental movement. Ultimately, she argues, modern
environmentalists must look to the history of Indigenous resistance
for wisdom and inspiration in our common fight for a just and
sustainable future.