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Event to Highlight Navajo & Hopi Tribes' Fight Against L.A.'s Dirty Power
Tomorrow, the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign and Power Paths Productions are hosting a screening of Power Paths, a documentary film that follows the Navajo (Dine) and Hopi tribes as they fight against polluting companies and work to bring renewable energy projects into their communities. Following the documentary screening will be a panel featuring leaders from the Navajo Green Economy Coalition. Discussion will also include strategies for making Los Angeles coal-free in the future.
In 1985, a film called Broken Rainbow documented the struggles of more than 12,000 Hopi and Navajo (Dine) Native Americans as they fought against their forced relocation by the US government in the 1960's, and the pollution of their air and water by coal-mining and uranium-mining companies. The products of these mining activities in the Arizona and New Mexico areas have provided power to lands west of the Navajo Nation, including Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Power Paths is a follow up to that story, chronicling a grassroots coalition of indigenous, Native American, and allied groups as they unite against these environmentally destructive companies whose work has had detrimental consequences for their livelihoods and health. Immense successes have been gained, such as the formation of the Navajo Green Economy Coalition by groups like the Black Mesa Water Coalition.
The struggle is ongoing to this very day. This month, the EPA will finish taking public comments on a proposed extension of a lease for Peabody Coal, one of the largest offending mining companies. Just last week, Black Mesa Water Coalition and others organized a horseback ride to the Navajo Nation Council to voice their thoughts about health concerns, environmental concerns, and reparations regarding the lease renewal.
The event will be held at the Autry National Center. Spanish translation will be provided, parking is free, carpools can be coordinated and reservations can be made at the RSVP link. Our contact at the Sierra Club noted to contact her (information provided in the RSVP link) if it states the event is full, she would try to accommodate a few more people.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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