Events

The struggle of the Water Protectors at Standing Rock, and what it means locally, will be the topic of a brown bag lunch discussion. This is part of a week of events on the Petoskey campus celebrating Earth Day. 

The panel will be comprised of area activists who joined the “Water Protectors” at the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe Reservation in North Dakota.

The tribe opposed the 1,172-mile Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) due to concerns over water contamination, environmental destruction and damage to ancestral sites. Their almost year-long encampment drew the support of indigenous people from hundreds of other tribes, as well as environmental, human rights and social justice activists from around the world. A partner in the DAPL project, Enbridge, Inc., operates Line 5, an aging underwater pipeline carrying oil and gas across the Mackinac Straits.

Panelists include:

• LuAnne Kozma, of Charlevoix, is a folklorist, paralegal and political and environmental activist, and the campaign director for the Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan. In 2016, she coordinated the Michigan campaigns for Jill Stein and Ajamu Baraka, the Green Party’s candidates for President and Vice-President. Kozma is a member of the National Lawyers Guild.
• Ellis Boal, also of Charlevoix, and married to Kozma, has run on the Green Party ticket in recent elections seeking posts ranging from county prosecutor to U.S. Congress. He is active in the statewide initiative campaign of the Committee to Ban Fracking in Michigan. Boal is also a member of the National Lawyers Guild.
• Rev. Jonathan Mays, of Charlevoix, is pastor of Greensky Hill Indian Mission.
• Stephen Brede, of Petoskey, is a writer and photographer who spent six summers paddling his canoe around the perimeter of all the Great Lakes.

Boal and Kozma traveled to Standing Rock in November, when they spent a week helping in the Legal Tent. Mays went in early November to join approximately 500 clergy from many traditions, from around the world, standing in solidarity with the tribe. Boal returned with Brede in December, this time working in one of the camp’s kitchens, while Brede helped with camp construction.

The discussion will be moderated by Fred Harrington of Petoskey, North Central instructor, U.S. Navy veteran, and members of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians.

This is a Brown Bag Panel Discussion. All events are free and open to the public, but reservations are required - call or email to reserve a spot