Native Organizers Alliance

Campaigns

• 

  The time is now: Change the Name of the Washington NFL team

  The name of the Washington team is defined as racial slur going back to at least 1898 printing of Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. But the possibility of a name change is finally within view. American Indian people and tribes have repeatedly called on the team to change the name for decades. Despite a claim that the team name “honors” indigenous people, the name itself is derogatory and comes to front the practice of collecting a bounty for “red skins” or scalps of Native men, women, and children murdered as part of this country’s history of genocide. The traditions of the team and its fans also reveal the racist nature of the name. The team’s logo is a racist caricature and the team fight song calls the players “Braves on the Warpath!” all calling up stereotypes of Indian “savages.” And some of the fans of the Washington team take the continuation of the name as permission to dress in costumes mocking and imitating Native people. The team name, its logo, all of these traditions are dehumanizing and perpetuate racism. According to a new UC Berkeley study, • 65% of Native Youth 18-24 year-olds found the Washington team name offensive. • 57% of people who feel highly connected to being Native American are offended by the Washington NFL team name. • Native American mascots cause higher rates of depression, suicide ideation, self-harm, and substance abuse in Native youth, and increased discrimination in schools against Native students. It’s clear. It is time for the Washington NFL team to #ChangeTheName and end its racist images and practices.

  14 of 100 Signatures

  Created by Judith LeBlanc
• Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline once and for all - #NoDAPL

  I am the Chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which has long opposed the Dakota Access Pipeline project. The pipeline presents a threat to our lands, our sacred sites, and our water. Now, thousands of American Indians, from more than 300 tribes spanning the continent, have joined with us to stand against this violation of our tribe's rights under federal laws and regulations. Twenty-one city and county governments have also joined us to stand in opposition to this pipeline. We demand that construction of this pipeline be stopped before any further damage is done. While we engage in the long legal process to curtail construction of the pipeline, Dakota Access is still poised to begin construction. Halting the construction was an unprecedented step in response to our powerful movement—and now President Obama must reject the pipeline's permit outright. Current and future generations depend on our rivers and aquifer to live. The Dakota Access pipeline jeopardizes the heath of our water and could affect our people, as well as countless communities who live downstream, as the pipeline would cross four states. The pipeline, as designed, would destroy ancient burial grounds, which is a violation of federal law. On Saturday, September 5, Dakota Access bulldozed two miles of burial grounds. The company's private security sicced dogs on and pepper-sprayed those who tried to protect the site. This company cannot be trusted. Urgent action is needed to prevent Dakota Access from continuing to violate federal laws. Over the past year, I have spent a great deal of time addressing the Tribe’s concerns about this pipeline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has failed to follow the law and has failed to consider the impacts of the pipeline on the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and neighboring communities. We demand to be heard, and we will continue to stand together for our nation and for all who live with and by the Missouri River, until justice is done.

  413,263 of 500,000 Signatures

  Created by Standing Rock Sioux Chairman David Archambault II
• Submit your comment to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline now

  President Trump's recent executive actions to push through the pipeline projects of the TransCanada Keystone XL pipeline and the Dakota Access Pipeline is a violation of Standing Rock Sioux Tribal sovereignty and marks the beginning of a full-frontal attack on Mother Earth on behalf of the fossil fuel industry. It's crucial we make our opposition heard. The Department of Army is now accepting public comments as part of the environmental impact statement for the Lake Oahe crossing by the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline—and we have until February 20 to submit our comments in opposition to this pipeline. Sign the petition now to submit your comment. President Trump's executive actions violate the legal and moral sovereign treaty rights of the Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota people and is an aggressive rebuke of more than 300 tribes who stand with Standing Rock in opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline. With the strength of prayers and people power, water protectors—Native and non-Native—across the country are more than ready to respond with sustained actions to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline and the Keystone XL Pipeline. Native Organizers Alliance will continue to support the tribal, spiritual, and grassroots-led movement which has mobilized millions to stand with Standing Rock. Stand with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and water protectors. Sign now to submit your comment.

  35,814 of 40,000 Signatures

  Created by Judith LeBlanc