Unit Destination Reflection - Lummi Nation

Please view this short documentary about the “Chemical Valley” in Ontario Canada and the First Nation of Aamjiwnaang. The Aamjiwnaang reservation is surrounded by a huge petrochemical industry and is inundated from this source by toxic pollutants. These environmental hazards have been linked to multiple health problems in the community, as well as to an artificial gender imbalance among the residents (also mentioned by Naomi Klein in This Changes Everything):

  • What feelings does this video bring up for you?
  • Does anything in this story surprise you?
  • What connection do you see in this story (or in your general knowledge) between environmental damage and the dispossession of First Peoples?
  • What would it mean for us to bear witness to the suffering described in this video?
  • How might one act on a feeling of indignation at this suffering without seeing oneself as a “savior”?

 

Unit 5: Spiritual Practice
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Heather Vickery is responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with UU congregations, State Action Networks, past UU College of Social Justice (UUCSJ) program participants, and regional staff in order to expand engagement in UUSC and UUCSJ’s work. As the Coordinator for Congregational Activism, she manages the workshop offerings and group visits to the UUSC/UUCSJ office and assists with communications for the Activism and Justice Education Team. Heather is an active member of the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network and a dedicated dog-mom to her rescue puppy Nova.

Heather may be contacted at hvickery@uucsj.org and 617-301-4303