Dear Friend, On this Day of Mourning, we grieve over all of the land stolen from Indigenous Peoples from land grabbing and colonialism, and we celebrate the continued resistance of Indigenous movements to rematriate their land. Will you support Grassroots International to accompany Indigenous movements in this critical work? |
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For over 40 years, Grassroots International has stood with Indigenous movements defending their cultures, their territories, and our very planet. Defense of territory is one of the six intersecting issue areas that Grassroots International supports partners in on the journey towards our collective liberation. Today, a number of Grassroots International staff members are attending a gathering we support each year – a commemoration of the National Day of Mourning in Plymouth, MA. This is connected to our broader accompaniment of Indigenous movements here in the US/Turtle Island, and across the globe. Several of our staff members are also just back from a trip to Honduras to visit our long-time movement partners, the Civic Council of Grassroots and Indigenous Organizations of Honduras (COPINH) and the Black Fraternal Organization of Honduras (OFRANEH). |
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Our staff joined COPINH in celebration of “30 years of resistance” with a beautiful gathering of over 500 Lenca and other Indigenous People from Honduras and across Latin America. The event centered autonomy, self-governance, resistance, and ancestral healing and wellbeing, and included discussions on community-controlled energy alternatives and preservation of Indigenous languages, spirituality, and cultures. Cross-movement solidarity was strong as attendees created a banner in support of Palestinian liberation. |
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Grassroots International staff then visited Vallecito, over 1800 hectares of ancestral territory that the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna people through OFRANEH have been able to reclaim. This territorial rematriation has made it possible for the Garifuna people to grow ancestral crops such as coconut palm and cassava and to create cooperatives for value-added products such as coconut oil and cassava bread (casabe), honoring their Indigenous foodways and advancing their food sovereignty. We are so grateful for your continued support of Indigenous movements. Would you join us in offering back thanks to these movements by making a donation to our #WeShowUp Fundraising Campaign? |
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These movements continue to need your critical support. From oil palm plantation owners, to narco-traffickers, to hydroelectric and mining companies, to government forces aligned with corporate interests, the Garifuna and Lenca people of Honduras are resisting an onslaught of threats to their territories, through the tireless work of movements like OFRANEH and COPINH. We have the numbers, the moral power of what’s just and good behind us… but we need to pool our resources and show up to center Indigenous voices. Make a gift today to provide solidarity with these movements. We are thankful for all you do for the planet, and we are particularly grateful for your support as we accompany Indigenous resistance with solidarity into 2024. In solidarity and gratitude, |
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