Howdy!
Spring has sprung and lots of actions are taking place, beginning next week with the Build Back Fossil Free actions taking place April 1-9 across the U.S.
 
Five years after the historic Standing Rock demonstrations, Indigenous communities are still working to protect their land and water from dangerous crude oil pipelines. On April 1st, Native youth on the frontlines of the Dakota Access Pipeline and Line 3 fights in MN will be coming to D.C. to kick off a week of action to ask Biden to Stop DAPL, Stop Line 3. and build back fossil free.

April 1, Build Back Fossil Free Virtual Rally

7-8 pm, online
Part of the national Build Back Fossil Free actions taking place April 1-9, calling on the Biden Administration to take immediate action to address the climate crisis and stop all fossil fuel projects. Join 350 Triangle on April 1 to hear stories from people in North Carolina on the frontline impacted by pipelines, biomass and biogas, and learn ways we can take action to Build Back Fossil Free! Speakers include Belinda Joyner, Crystal Cavelier, Sherri White-Williamson, Jodi Lassiter, and more.
Register here.
Part of this year’s Environmental Film Festival in D.C., Ain’t Your Mama’s Heat Wave is a stand up comedy special about the climate crisis. It’s filmed in the St. Paul’s district of Norfolk, VA, a Black public housing community that is being redeveloped because of climate flooding, sea level rise, and a legacy of racist urban policies. Four Black millennial stand-up comedians, hailing from Virginia Beach, Atlanta, Chicago, and Ohio, take the stage to “make the climate crisis funny” in front of a St. Paul’s audience who are at risk for a Hurricane Katrina-like disaster and many of whom are currently being displaced from their homes. Get your tickets here.  You need to start watching by March 28.
 
April 2, Walking Water Screening
7:30 pm
Hosted by 7 Directions of Service, join a movie screening on Walking Water. Over a three year period, Walking Water will trace a pathway from Mono Lake to Los Angeles, weaving a water story through the complex reality of water. Register here.
April 6-7, NC BREATHE 2021
1-5 pm both days, online
Join conversations with health professionals, policymakers, and community advocates as we seek climate change solutions prioritizing health and equity in North Carolina. William Barber III will be the keynote speaker. More information and registration here.
 
April 9-11, Global Just Recovery Gathering
Hosted by 350.org, people from all corners of the world will come together for the Global Just Recovery Gathering, a three-day virtual event from April 9 to 11 to reconnect, recharge, rebuild, and raise the agenda to build back fossil free. We’ll create space to dream together, learn from one another, and stand in solidarity with people fighting for climate justice around the world. Twenty-five global leaders including Greta Thunberg, Naomi Klein, Bill McKibben, and Chibeze Ezekiel are confirmed to speak at this historic gathering. Over 5,000 people have registered already! More information and registration here.
The 12th edition of the annual fossil fuel finance report: Banking on Climate Chaos 2021 was released this week. This year’s edition looks at the world’s 60 largest private sector banks, and finds that they’ve collectively financed fossil fuels with $3.8 trillion since the Paris Agreement was signed. Despite a significant global drop in fossil fuel demand and production last year, banks’ 2020 fossil fuel financing numbers still remained above 2016 levels, and the trend of the last 5 years remains headed in the wrong direction. Check out the report here.
MORAL MONDAYS have returned! Every Monday during President Biden’s First Hundred Days the Poor People’s Campaign will be meeting online for teachins, witnesses, music and phonebank action. Most Moral Mondays will begin at 3 pm. Join on their website or on their Facebook page.
Water Quilt Project ARTivism Virginia, in collaboration with Appalachian Voices, POWHR, Haw River Assembly (NC) and Preserve Monroe (WV) invite you to participate in the Water Quilt Project to honor and protect the waterways of Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina threatened by the Mountain Valley Pipeline. More information here and spread the word.
 
Danna Smith from Dogwood Alliance wrote an important article A Green New Deal for America’s Forests: Protection and Reparations. Read it here.
April 24, 3rd Annual Missing Murdered Indigenous Woman March
10 am – 1 pm, online
The absence of consistent, standardized reporting on the issue has prevented researchers from gaining a true understanding of the problem. NC is 8th in the nation for Human Trafficking, and we need to highlight this, raise awareness and prevent trafficking of Native peoples by educating them on what human trafficking is, available resources, safety tips, and ways to get involved in their communities. RSVP here.
Thanks for reading and sharing with others!