Indigenous communities have a long history of living with and learning from the environment, but the extraction and transportation of fossil fuels near their communities, along with unjust policies, have put their health, the climate, and, in some cases, tribal sovereignty at risk. This Earth Month, join us for a discussion on “Fossil Fuels, Health, and Frontline Indigenous Communities.” Hear from Indigenous leaders Lisa DeVille, who has witnessed firsthand the effects of oil extraction on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota; Kandi White, who has been a leading advocate against fracking and pipeline projects; and Harvard faculty on how we can uplift Indigenous voices and curb the impacts of climate change on frontline communities. The discussion will be moderated by Katherine Todrys, author of the 2021 book Black Snake: Standing Rock, the Dakota Access Pipeline, and Environmental Justice.

Hosts:

• Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health’s Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment (Harvard Chan C-CHANGE)
• Harvard University’s FXB Center on Health and Human Rights
• Harvard University Native American Program
• The Native American Alumni of Harvard University

Opening Remarks:

• Aaron Bernstein, Interim Director of The Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment

Panelist:

• Katherine Todrys, Moderator and Author
• Lisa DeVille, Co-founder, Fort Berthold Protectors of Water and Earth Rights
• Kandi White, Native Energy & Climate Campaign Coordinator, Indigenous Environmental Network
• Joseph P Gone, Professor, Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences & Harvard Medical School

Closing Remarks:

• Natalia Linos, Executive Director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University