A Conversation with Indigenous Water Defenders

from the WNPJ newsletter:

Tues Apr 22, 7 - 9 pm A Conversation with Indigenous Water Defenders Paul DeMain and Gracie Waukechon. At the Social Justice Center, 1202 Williamson Street. Paul DeMain and Gracie Waukechon will be at the Social Justice Center bring a critical voice to the struggle for social and environmental justice. This informal conversation is a great opportunity to meet and learn from two Wisconsin indigenous water defenders. They are in Madison to participate in a lobby day and press conference at the Capitol on April 23 for the Wisconsin right to boycott campaign. Paul DeMain is an important voice in the struggle to shut down line 5. For many years he worked as a journalist. He says, "I am called Paul DeMain,but my name is Skabewis in the Ojibwe language. I take the title 'the messenger'. I speak for things that don't have a voice. I speak for the water, and for our natural world that is impacted by water."

Gracie Waukechon/Meyawaew is a student at the College of the Menominee Nation and activist from Bonduel Wisconsin. She is a member of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and Menominee descendant. She has spoken in Minnesota and Wisconsin on the issues of Line 5 and The Back Forty Mine. She spoke in Toronto and Montreal at the showing of the documentary film Bad River.

Sent to WNPJ by Madison Rafah Sister City Project: rafahsistercity@yahoo.com