This is from Jessie Rose Vala who has been volunteering for Black Mesa Indigenous Support this year.
Greetings BMIS Regional Coordinators and other members of the Support
Network,
We are writing to let you know that next week (April 25th-28th) several
Dine’ elders from the Hopi Partitioned Land area of Big Mountain/Black Mesa
are travelling to Tucson, AZ to testify in front of United Nations
Rapporteur for Indigenous Peoples, Profesor James Anaya. Professor Anaya
will be hosting sessions across the country with Indigenous Peoples, Tribal
Leaders and Indigenous organizations to investigate how the US government
is implementing (or not) the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples. If you are not familiar with this comprehensive Declaration, we
encourage you to take a look at it.
This is an incredible opportunity for Big Mountain/Black Mesa elders-who
have been resiliently resisting forced relocation, combating the effects of
environmental racism, and standing on the front lines of the battle against
continued climate chaos-to have their stories heard by a UN
representative. Among other things, they plan to discuss the Little
Colorado River and the SB2109 Water Settlement Act, the HPL Bennett Freeze,
and the damage to the holy San Francisco Peaks.