The Native Student Alliance, Hip Hop Congress & The Occupy Symposium present:
Decolonizing Movements:
Native Activist & Hip Hop Occupies
Thurs. May 3, 6-9 pm Lecture Hall 1
Waziyatawin, Dakota activist, writer, and educator (Waziyatawin.net) will speak on
“Indigenous Struggles in the Era of Hyper-Exploitation and Climate Change”
We live in an era in which the negative effects of hyper-exploitation and fossil fuel extraction become more apparent every day. Rather than abating, colonial assaults on Indigenous Peoples and homelands seem to be increasing as industrial civilization’s ravenous appetite for energy and wealth becomes increasingly more desperate. In exploring the links between decolonization and justice, this presentation will contend that the possibility of Indigenous survival and resurgence rests in our capacity to recover our sustainable ways of being and to engage in fierce, uncompromising protection of our homelands. It will further address how our survival and resurgence is linked to working with non-Indigenous allies to collaboratively challenge the destructive forces affecting our lands, waters, and air.
You can see her speech at Occupy Oakland at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naY3VFdTKEc
Hip Hop Occupies, Seattle (www.hiphopoccupies.com) has worked with the POC Caucus of Occupy Seattle to present an urban arts-infused movement of decolonization that redefines protest and self-determination. Maria Guillen, organizer with Hip Hop Occupies says, “In times of decolonization, hip hop manifests as a collective voice and the spirit of self-determination. Just like Hip Hop and art transcends borders as a result of young people reclaiming streets and spaces, we celebrate building community outside oppressive systems. No longer will our creativity be crushed out of us. We are what we’ve been waiting for.” Maria and members of the group will speak about their work and perform.
Co-sponsored by The President’s Diversity Fund, TESC Writing Center, Center for Community-Based Learning and Action, and the Academic Deans