First Nation – Farmer Climate Unity March

Dear Friends, After a stormy night, marchers carpooled to the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) for a press conference to announce the First Nation – Farmer Climate Unity March. Though the IUB was closed, we know board members are paying attention. It’s important for them to hear that they made the wrong decision when granting the authority to use eminent domain to build the Dakota Access Pipeline. Most Iowans agree. Iowa law agrees. Soon, we’ll see whether the Iowa Supreme Court agrees. Blessings by Ako Abdul-Samad Continue reading →

An amazing group of people

Dear Friends, As greedy fossil-fuel tycoons escalate their abuse of eminent domain to steal our land, foul our water, and destroy our planet, we must push back with all the strength and commitment we can muster. Standing Rock became a visual manifestation of our commitment to not back down, and we who were empowered through Standing Rock continue to fight for our future. In the face of such an enormous crisis as climate change, we must think big and act big. One huge opportunity to Continue reading →

Why march?

Dear Friends, Truly, it is not possible to overstate the importance of the landowner/Sierra Club lawsuit! Oral arguments will be heard by the Iowa Supreme Court on September 12 at 9:00 a.m. If the plaintiffs win, not only could we stop the oil from flowing through Iowa but we could change the conversation on whether the rule of law has fallen victim to the fossil-fuel giants’ use of eminent domain to expand their private infrastructure. It’s also not possible to overstate the importance of the Continue reading →

Fort Dodge in the spotlight on September 8

Dear Friends, Can you help get this press release out? There’s nothing like a call from a local person to their newspaper, tv station, radio station, or key social media contact to generate interest in a story. And if landowners and the Iowa Sierra Club win their lawsuit against DAPL and stop the flow of oil, this will indeed be a story heard ’round the world! The First Nation – Farmer Climate Unity March can play a key role in helping build public interest in Continue reading →

Raising awareness for effective action

Dear Friends, I’m a big believer in pacing oneself. We’ve got to take time to smell the roses even in the midst of intense struggle. Yet sometimes — often, in all honesty — the demands of fighting for justice require some pretty exhausting days. The First Nation – Farmer Climate Unity March will be a string of such days. But the importance of this march — raising awareness about the historic lawsuit that could stop the flow of oil through the Dakota Access Pipeline — Continue reading →

Meet the Marchers

Dear Friends, Just like planet Earth, preparations for the First Nation – Farmer Climate Unity March are heating up. This past weekend, Sarah Spain and Chap Myers scouted the route between Des Moines and Fort Dodge. We’re now closing in on locating the seven campsites we’ll need for the September 1 – 8 march. Also, Sarah and her brother, Sean, are working on improvements to our “Mobile Bathroom” unit — a trailer that hauls both environmentally friendly commodes and solar showers. Besides the trailer’s functional Continue reading →

Save the date to march with us

Dear Friends, Often when there’s a crisis, people respond by traveling great distances on foot. Marches often transform the participants, and have changed my life, too. (Stay tuned for the upcoming release of my first book, Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim.) Most important, marches change history. Consider: The Women’s Suffrage March Gandhi’s Salt March The 1965 March for Voting Rights The 1986 Great Peace March, which mobilized support for a nuclear test ban and citizen diplomacy between Americans and Russians From September 1 – 8, fifty people Continue reading →