Guest opinion. While this is not the outcome we hoped for, we know that elections are only one part of our democracy. As in the past, we will continue to fight to protect all that is sacred to us as indigenous peoples and sovereign tribal nations.
During his last four years in office, Trump has worked to dismantle key protections for the sovereignty of tribes and sacred sites. In his first few days, he worked to weaken the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act. He defied the will of the tribal nations and fast-tracked the Dakota Access and Keystone XL pipelines. His running mate has called Indigenous Peoples’ Day a “fake holiday” and has belittled our two-spirit ancestors. His Project 2025 plans will centralize power in the executive office, posing an extreme threat to tribal-federal relations and our rights as sovereign nations to make decisions on policies that affect our lands, resources and people.
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Trump has proposed seizing federal lands to address the housing crisis. This is yet another extreme risk to our rights as sovereign nations to make decisions about our ancestral homelands. We have a unique and special relationship with the land and the entire natural world. We see these lands – and the entire planet – not as wasteland to be developed or exploited, but as a sacred landscape to be managed and protected for the benefit of all future generations.
As before, we stand ready to fight to protect all that is sacred to us: our sovereignty, our lands, our waters, our resources and our way of life as indigenous peoples. We are prepared to face the challenges of a second Trump presidency and will not back down. We will continue to expand our movement and defend democracy, our lands and our rights as indigenous peoples.
Judith LeBlanc (Caddo), executive director of Native Organizers Alliance Action Fund, a partner to Native Organizers Alliance.
About the author: “”
Contact: judith@nativenewsonline.net
