The story of Native peoples' resistance to environmental injustice and
land incursions, and a call for environmentalists to learn from the
Indigenous community's rich history of activism
Through the unique lens of "Indigenized environmental justice,"
Indigenous researcher and activist Dina Gilio-Whitaker explores the
fraught history of treaty violations, struggles for food and water
security, and protection of sacred sites, while highlighting the
important leadership of Indigenous women in this centuries-long
struggle. As Long As Grass Grows gives readers an accessible history
of Indigenous resistance to government and corporate incursions on their
lands and offers new approaches to environmental justice activism and
policy.
Throughout 2016, the Standing Rock protest put a national spotlight on
Indigenous activists, but it also underscored how little Americans know
about the longtime historical tensions between Native peoples and the
mainstream environmental movement. Ultimately, she argues, modern
environmentalists must look to the history of Indigenous resistance for
wisdom and inspiration in our common fight for a just and sustainable
future.