Thirty UU clergy joined more than 500 faith leaders from around the world on Thursday to support the Standing Rock Sioux in their opposition to the location of the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota. UUA President Peter Morales called the pipeline “a textbook case of marginalizing minority communities in the drive to increase fossil fuel supplies.”
According to an Associated Press report in the Chicago Tribune and elsewhere, Rev. Tet Gallardo, a UU minister from the Philippines noted, “Water is the subject of concern also in the Philippines.” She asked, “How can this happen to people who are so faithful to God?”
UU congregations in Washington and North Dakota have been supporting the Standing Rock Sioux for several months. Rev. Karen Van Fossan of the Bismark, ND congregation recommends that UUs interested in joining the fight to protect the Sioux’s sacred lands and access to clean water can:
- Raise awareness of the struggle among UUs wherever you are.
- Encourage UUs to travel to Standing Rock, if they can, to bear witness and take the story back home.
- Build solidarity at home—wherever home is for you—and organize actions to stop the pipeline.
Morales released a statement of support on August 30.