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Friday October 11, many LHS students participated in the climate strike at Civic Center Park inspired by Greta Thunberg’s Fridays for Future.
Although many participants came with the intention to hear Greta speak, the 16 year old climate activist only made a brief appearance. The majority of the event was reserved for members of the Indigenous Youth Council and several other local youth activists.
The strong emphasis on recognizing Indigenous leadership and missing and murdered Indigenous women gave participants a unique and crucial perspective on an aspect of climate justice that too often is not given the attention it deserves. Additionally, speakers gave recognition to the unique role women play in fighting climate change.
The strike placed a strong emphasis on missing and murdered Indigenous women. The week leading up to the strike, black and red dresses were displayed to raise awareness about the issue. Additionally, many participants in the panel and general strike wore black and red facepaint handprints over their mouths to stand in solidarity with the affected women.
Womxn from the Mountain , an inclusive group of educators that identify as women, are working with environmental activists to bring attention to missing and murdered indigenous, black, and trans women.
In the United States, indigenous women are one of the most vulnerable groups to climate issues. The fossil fuel industry has been directly linked with violence against this demographic. Pipeline construction and fossil fuel projects bring in a large male workforce that live in “man camps”. These man camps have been associated with increased rates of sexual assault and violence against women. This correlation contributes to the importance of including the discussion of violence against indigenous women in the discussion of environmental justice.
Lions’ Roar Now is the student newspaper for Littleton High School in Littleton, Colorado.