Independent news from the Indigenous Media Freedom Alliance

Community Announcement Supplied and approved by an external entity; not impartial, fact-checked journalism.

NEW SIX-FIGURE AD CAMPAIGN: Water Protectors Urge President Biden and Army Corps leader Jaime Pinkham to Stop the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline

Indigenous Environmental Network Logo Indigenous Environmental Network Logo

Ads in the New York Times, Washington Post, and Minneapolis Star Tribune Feature Anishinaabe Water Protectors:

“Honor the treaties. Honor your commitments to climate action. Stop the Line 3 tar sands pipeline”

Today, Honor the Earth and Indigenous Environmental Network, in partnership with renowned artists, donors, and movement leaders, launched a six-figure ad buy, including full page print ads in the New York Times and Minneapolis Star Tribune, and digital ads in the Washington Post, calling on President Biden and Jaime Pinkham of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers to stand with the Anishinaabe people and stop the reckless Enbridge Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota. 
 
The proposed Line 3 pipeline would carry nearly a million barrels of tar sands oil — one of the dirtiest fossil fuels on the planet — per day through untouched wetlands and the treaty territory of Anishinaabe people; endangering the headwaters of the Mississippi River and critical hunting, fishing and wild rice areas. 
 
The ad creative features portraits by Nedahness Greene (@nedahnessgreene) of Anishinaabe women water protectors who have devoted their lives to fighting the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline and includes the names of 200+ artists, donors, and movement leaders including Leonardo DiCaprio, Joaquin Phoenix, Bon Iver, Amy Schumer, US Poet Laureate Joy Harjo, Mark Ruffalo, Jane Fonda, and Tom Steyer. 
 
Two of the water protectors featured in this ad, Gina Peltier and Nancy Beaulieu, were among seven arrested on Tuesday night, August 3rd, while practicing a traditional ceremony for healing at the site of Enbridge’s recent pipeline spills near the Headwaters of the Mississippi. Tara Houska, another Indigenous water protector featured in the ad, was among 20 people brutally arrested last Friday, July 30th, as they peacefully protested at the drill pad on the Red River. Police officers at the scene met the peaceful water protectors with mace, tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper bullets (Video) — the first time these weapons have been used against Line 3 water protectors, marking a significant police escalation. 
 
The campaign follows on the heels of a letter signed by more than 200 artists, donors, and movement leaders calling on President Biden to follow through with his campaign promises to respect Indigenous and Tribal rights and to take bold climate action, and cancel Line 3 before it is too late. The letter was delivered to White House chief of staff Ron Klain in early July.
 
The full page ad in the New York Times reads: 
 
“President Biden, 
 
We are Anishinaabe women. We are fighting for the water, the land, and the future of our people.  
 
We are fighting against Enbridge, a foriegn oil company that is draining our lakes, endangering our sisters, jailing our people, destroying our rice beds, and putting our way of life at risk. 
 
We ask you to stand with us. Honor the treaties. Honor your commitments to climate action. Stop the Line 3 tar sands pipeline.” 
 
The ad also calls on the public to take action and join the fight to protect our land and water and stop Line 3, directing people to the website, WeProtectTheWater.org, where you can write your own letter to President Biden demanding that he #StopLine3. 
 
Additional digital ads, and two full-page print ads in the Duluth News Tribune and Bemidji Pioneer will come in the following days. 
 
For the full letter signed by artists, donors, and movement leaders, click here.

Full letter image signed by artists, donors, and movement leaders. Photo: Indigenous Environmental Network

###

Established in 1990, The Indigenous Environmental Network is an international environmental justice nonprofit that works with tribal grassroots organizations to build the capacity of Indigenous communities. I EN’s activities include empowering Indigenous communities and tribal governments to develop mechanisms to protect our sacred sites, land, water, air, natural resources, the health of both our people and all living things, and to build economically sustainable communities.

Learn more here: ienearth.org

Dateline:

Washington, DC

Contributing Writer

Buffalo's Fire collaborates with other content producers, such as AP Storyshare, independent news organizations, freelance journalists, opinion writers, community members, and academic outlets. We also appreciate ICT for sharing their stories.