One of the lead organizers in the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe’s fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline will be a special guest at the 12th annual Spring Powwow at Oklahoma City University on Saturday, April 7. The powwow with featured guest Phyllis Young will start at 2 p.m. in the Freede Wellness Center on NW 27th Street and Florida Avenue.
The tribe’s opposition to the 1,200-mile pipeline, which they said would destroy sacred burial sites and threaten their water supply, drew worldwide attention in 2016. Thousands of “Water Protectors” gathered in camps near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, in protest.
The Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference (OIMC) was among organizations that provided support for the camps including food, gasoline for generators, and paper goods to feed the swelling camp, which ranged from 1,000 to 2,000 people. In addition, the OIMC sent 700 Christmas stockings to the camps along with gloves and coats during the winter.
“Phyllis has a long and profound history of working on and fighting for rights of Native peoples across the country,” said Rev. David Wilson, conference superintendent of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference and sponsor of the OCU Native American Society, which is hosting the powwow.
In addition to the powwow, Young will be speaking at Grace United Methodist Church at9:30 a.m. Sunday, April 8. The church is located at 6316 N. Tulsa Ave. in Oklahoma City. She will also speak at Norman First American United Methodist Church at 3 p.m. Sunday, located at 1950 Beaumont Dr. in Norman.
“We are excited that Phyllis will be with us at both OCU and at Grace UMC. We invite everyone to come and hear her story and the continued struggles of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe,” Wilson said. For more information, contact the OIMC office at 405-632-2006.