Powerful Photos From the Indigenous Peoples March on Washington
On Friday, January 18, Indigenous organizers took their movement to the capitol, inaugurating the first-ever Indigenous Peoples March on Washington (#IPMDC19). According to organizer Roberto Borrero, who spoke with Teen Vogue, over 1,000 people representing more than 100 tribal nations marched in Washington, D.C. — traditionally Paskatawe land — calling for policies that strengthen Native sovereignty and recognition of the deep injustices that continue to affect their communities.
Organizers for the event claim that the violence of settler colonization hasn’t disappeared into the past; today, it takes form as extractive industry land violations, police brutality, disappearing Native women and girls, systematic voter suppression, contaminated natural resources, structural poverty, and other manifestations of collective oppression. These challenges afflict communities everywhere, from South Dakota to Guatemala.
Speakers at the march inspired the crowd to keep organizing to protect their rights and also facilitated group prayers and dances. The day in Washington, D.C. was as much about strengthening future coalitions as healing from past trauma. After centuries of forced assimilation, genocide, and erasure, the Indigenous movement shows tremendous resilience — as signs held by those on the ground read, “we are still here,” “we are unafraid,” and “we are rising up.”
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