Community Voices

This upcoming Thanksgiving, there is one thing we should all be discussing at our dinner tables this year – Land Back. Indigenous peoples in the United States have been very clear that the key to decolonization is returning land to the Indigenous communities from which it was stolen. Returning land and respecting the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples provides significant restitution for the hundreds of broken treaties and the countless human rights violations committed by the United States of America. The movement, Land Back, also promotes making the world a healthier and safer place. The motivation for decolonization should focus on the benefits to Indigenous peoples and the restoration of justice. At the same time, Land Back is an excellent environmental policy. As if we needed another reason to support the sovereignty of Indigenous peoples in the United States, now you can add combatting climate change and improving human health to the myriad of reasons Indigenous communities should be central to environmental decision making.