[Indigsol] IPSMO media coverage in 24 hours

[Greg Macdougall]

good work Louisa! way to put the media relations training to work!
remember to follow up with Adrienne and build relationships :)
and others - if you like the article, feel free to write Adrienne and provide feedback (email address is at bottom of article)

We can learn from Indigenous culture
by Adrienne Ascah

appeared in: 24 hours (free daily newspaper in Ottawa)
Wednesday April 22, 2009

Mother Earth has survived another year.

Indigenous Peoples' Solidarity Movement Ottawa is holding an Earth Day celebration at Dundonald Park, at the corner of Somerset W. and Lyon Sts., today at 6:30 p.m.

The event will include an opening prayer from Grandmother Irene Lindsay and a drum circle from Minwashiin Lodge. Aboriginal speakers Irene Compton, Wanda Seguin, Looee Okalik and Sonny Papatie will discuss indigenous people's efforts to protect the earth, their communities and their culture.

"There's an insurmountable number of things that we can learn not only from indigenous culture, but from the struggles that indigenous people face and why those struggles exist," said IPSMO member Louisa Worrell.

Worrell, 20, said human rights and environmentalism are inexorably linked.

Colonization, along with corporate and governmnet corruption and greed, led to the oppression of indigenous people and environmental destruction that continues today, she said.

IPSMO supports the efforts of indigenous people who challenge environmental and human rights abuses. Faced with a vast, uphill battle, the Earth Day celebration honours the challenges as well as the successes.

"If we don't celebrate what we have done so far, we might get overwhelmed by what we have to do," said Worrell, a first-year University of Ottawa student.

Everyone is invited to attend the Earth Day celebration, which includes music and free food. Bring a drum if you want to join the drumming.

Participants are asked to bring a cup to enjoy free beverages without creating waste. 

Small, individual efforts, like bringing a cup instead of using Styrofoam are important, but it's only part of the picture, Worrell said.

"It's important to look at the bigger picture of how corporations and institutions and systems affect ecology, not just to individualize it."

Whether you're a social activist or just want to learn more, feel free to join the celebration. Freewill donations will cover event costs and go to Minwashiin Lodge, which provides services and programs for Aboriginal women, children and youth.

-- Adrienne Ascah appears Wednesdays and Thursdays in 24 hours. Send your comments or column ideas to Adrienne.Ascah at sunmedia.ca



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