Over 30 events across Turtle Island joined the Grassy Narrows Blockaders in celebrating their resistance, sovereignty, and action in defence of the earth on the 10th anniversary of the Slant Lake blockade.

Read media reports of the anniversary: click here.

RELEASE Dec. 3, 2012:  Grassy Narrows Blockaders protest logging on 10 year anniversary of blockade

RELEASE Dec. 2, 2012:  Sacred fire at Queens Park marks 10 years of the Grassy Narrows blockade

Click here for a full screen version of the slide show.

Click on the pin on the map below for details about events in your area.

View Grassy Narrows Blockade 10th Anniversary Events in a larger map

NEW- Download posters for your events! Posters below.

 

The Grassy Narrows Women's Drum Group would like to invite you to help us celebrate the 10th year Anniversary of the Grassy Narrows Blockade "Direct Action."

Since December 2002, our community has taken on this big logging industry.  We succeeded in kicking out the world's largest paper company – Abitibi – and we are still fighting against other companies like Weyerhaeuser who are trying to regain access to our forest

Please join us in celebrating our resistance, our sovereignty, and our action in defence of the earth.

From: Judith Da Silva <XXXXXXXX@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 22, 2012 at 4:04 PM
Subject: 10th anniversary Grassy Narrows Blockade celebration *final version*

Call out to Celebrate 10th Anniversary of Grassy Narrows Blockade

The Grassy Narrows Women's Drum Group would like to invite you to help us celebrate the 10th year Anniversary of the Grassy Narrows Blockade "Direct Action."

On December 2, 2002 Grassy Narrows Anishinabe Community Members mobilized in a powerful direct action to stop the destruction of our way of life and habitat by stopping logging trucks from entering our territory.  Many supporters have joined us in this fight.

This industrial logging was destroying a way of life for our people as they cut massive hectares of our forest against our will and carried our trees off to the mills since the early 1950's.  We received another big blow to our economic self sufficiency in the 1970's when mercury was dumped into the English Wabigoon River system (flows directly into Grassy Narrows First Nation and Whitedog) by a paper mill, and the river became poisoned with this mercury.  Until today that poison is still in the river system and new mercury is added from the logging that takes place all over the forest.

Since December 2002, our community has taken on this big logging industry.  We succeeded in kicking out the world's largest paper company – Abitibi – and we are still fighting against other companies like Weyerhaeuser who are trying to regain access to our forest.

We will continue to fight against this cultural genocide.

Please join us in celebrating our resistance, our sovereignty, and our action in defence of the earth.

Grassy Narrows Women's Drum Group

 

Organize an event in your community!

You can help celebrate and support the blockade by organizing an event in your community on Dec. 2, 2012.  Here are some ideas:

1.  Host a movie night.  Screen the film "As long as the rivers flow:  The Grassy Narrows blockade story" in your home, a community hall, a church, or any place where you can gather a small crowd.  Invite your friends and family, and if you have space invite some local organizations that support social and environmental justice.  Collect signatures on the Grassy Narrows petition, and collect emails for the FreeGrassy Supporter email list.

Contact:  earthjusticeaction@gmail.com  for a copy of the film, petition, fliers, and a template movie night poster.

 

2.  Celebrate.  Organize a community dinner, a ceremony, or another event to celebrate the blockade anniversary with your community.  Invite people who have supported the blockade, or who might be interested in supporting the blockade.  Share stories and articles about the blockade and display  the short update video, and the blockade photo retrospective slideshow (coming soon).

 

3.  Take action!  Organize a creative action to support the blockade.  For example you could flyer, picket, or demonstrate at a retailer or institution who refuses to commit to boycott products that are made with trees stolen from Grassy Narrows' forests

Contact:  earthjusticeaction@gmail.com  for suggestions, support, etc.

 

Download a flier:

General Grassy blockade flyer (half page) side 1

General Grassy blockade flyer (half page) side 2

10th anniversary supplemental flier (quarter page).  Staple it to the general blockade flyer.

 

Posters

Grassy Narrows Poster – 11 x 17 Colour

Grassy Narrows Poster – 11 x 17 Black and White

Grassy Narrows Poster – 5 x 11 Colour

Grassy Narrows Poster – 5 x 11 Black and White

Whatever you do please send pictures and a two sentence report to earthjusticeaction@gmail.com so we can compile them and show the blockaders in Grassy Narrows how deep their support is.

Thanks for helping to celebrate and support the Grassy Narrows blockade.