'If the Water Is Rising, Then So Must We': Indigenous Peoples March in Washington Against Global Injustice

In an event described as “breathtaking, heartbreaking, strong, and beautiful,” representatives from native communities around the world came together in Washington, D.C. on Friday for the first-ever Indigenous Peoples March.

Organized as a rebuke to the violence and injustices that Indigenous Peoples often face—from the murder of native girls and women to police brutality to having unceded tribal lands torn away by colonizing governments and fossil fuel corporations—the march kicked off Friday morning outside the U.S. Interior Department.

“I think it’s a collective cry for help because we’re in a time of crisis that we have not seen in a very long time,” Nathalie Farfan, an Ecuadorian Indigenous woman and march organizer, told Remezcla earlier this week. “When I say crisis, I mean collective crisis. A lot of Indigenous people from around the world are suffering from the same colonization.”

“This is the time to bring awareness to these injustices that have divided us all,” Farfan added. “That’s why we are saying unity is power, and we need all Indigenous people to come.”

With a nod to human-caused global warming, which also inspired Indigenous groups to plan the march, one participant declared from the streets on Friday, “If the water is rising, then so must we.” Supporters and marchers posted updates to social media with the hashtags #IndigenousPeoplesMarch, #IPMDC19, #WhyIMarch, and #WaterIsLife:

The march moved from the Interior Department to the Lincoln Memorial, where organizers planned an all-day rally, followed by an evening fundraising concert at the Songbyrd Music House. Indigenous leaders addressed the crowd at the memorial.