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Jaime is one of the 21 youth plaintiffs in OCT’s federal lawsuit, Juliana v. United States, and a young member of the Navajo Nation. Jaime and her community have been facing severe effects of the climate crisis, which are now exacerbating the COVID-19 pandemic on the Navajo Reservation. For the last decade, OCT has been working to protect Jaime’s cultural rights, through litigation against the State of Arizona and the Federal Government. Now we have also made a submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights asking the UN to set science-based standards to protect the cultural and human rights of young people we represent, and Indigenous Youth across the globe.
Jaime’s, and other youths’, cultural rights have been increasingly harmed as the climate crisis worsens. The increased vulnerability of Jaime’s Clan due to lack of access to clean drinking water on the Navajo Reservation, in part from worsening drought conditions, forces Navajo citizens to drive long distances and wait hours in line to retrieve water at utility water points. Laundromats are over-capacity as lines form outside, and families move quickly in and out of tightly packed spaces. The reduced ability to grow food and raise livestock, due to drought and heat, makes grocery stores the only access for food supply. However, there are only 13 grocery stores in a geographical area of 27 thousand square miles. As COVID-19 positive numbers continue to climb, more families and clans face the loss of family members, mostly elders, who hold the enduring cultural knowledge of their people. The loss of historical knowledge further endangers the cultural integrity of the largest sovereign tribal nation within the United States, as well as Jaime’s cultural rights.
Jaime and members of the Navajo Nation are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, especially when compounded with the effects of the climate crisis, and it is of utmost urgency that we act to protect these communities in any way we can.
While OCT works to address the systemic injustices of the climate crisis, this collaborative effort, led by enrolled Navajo and Hopi tribal members is an excellent example of the vital on-the-ground work being done to distribute essential supplies and services to the citizens of the Navajo Nation.
Our Children’s Trust is grateful for your steady support at this time when all of us are experiencing uncertainty looking forward. If you are able, pledging your monthly support is the most effective way to support our work to protect the rights of our most vulnerable youth. Even the smallest monthly donations make a huge impact and ensure we can continue our work as usual. If you are able to make a donation today, thank you! If making a donation is not possible right now, that’s okay! You can still help by spreading the word about our work to protect youths’ cultural rights by posting to your social media.
From everyone at Our Children’s Trust: Thank you so much for your support.
In global solidarity!
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