Hello Readers. Next week I am going to Standing Rock, North Dakota to help & stand in solidarity with the water protectors fighting against the Dakota Access Pipeline. I am going Thanksgiving-(taking) weekend for 4 days.

Now there are many things you should prepare for if you are thinking of going to Standing Rock at all and here are a few.

This post came off a fb post Eryn Wise wrote a couple weeks ago talking about ways to come to Standing Rock and be respectful. I will add what she said at the end of this post please read it its very important.

1. Educate Yourself– Learn what the DAPL is & what it means to the Standing Rock Lakota, Dakota, Nakota or Sioux tribe, what it means for the history of all tribes in both North and South America or Turtle Island and what this means for all our waters all over the world. Learn about colonization, what Indigenous people have been through all over the world and white privilege on under served communities. Basically just learn the real history and come woke so we can have real conversations on the tough things going on this country and the world.

2. Prepare for the Climate & Camp– If you are planning to go to Standing Rock during the next few months while it is winter time then awesome but make sure you are prepared for the weather. Winters in North Dakota and most places up north are no joke. Temperatures become below zero with winds up to 30-40 mph and white outs can accrue when blizzards happen. If you plan to camp at the one of the solidarity camps make sure you are prepared with sub zero everything. Sub zero tents, sleeping bags, mats for under your sleeping bags, and warm clothing and boots, gloves, ski mask ect. Also no matter what climate you should be ready to contribute to the camp you are staying at as well as be super self sufficient and not take resources from the camp. They already have limited resources as it is so to take from them does not help.

3. Be Prepared to Be Maced, Pepper Sprayed & Arrested– Remember if you go to the camps to stand in solidarity that there is the very real chance you will be maced, pepper sprayed and arrested so please prepare yourself! Learn who would represent you if you got arrested, what other people have done when they got arrested and if your not willing to be arrested or don’t have the money for bail then think of that too.

4. Remember This Is An Indigenous & POC Resistance That Welcomes White Allies– Standing Rock is a movement for everyone as water is life and is important for the whole human family regardless of color. But that is not all that this resistance is about. A lot of the resistance Indigenous and POC communities are doing is to combat colonialism, racism, and the idea of the United States of America. Now this all takes different forms at different times and right now it is environmental racism against a people who already are at their lowest fighting this war machine for 500 years trying to take there land back which we never saw as land that can be owned. Now as white allies are defiantly welcome and much needed in the struggle just remember this is not your struggle. You are there to help and be in solidarity but you let those communities lead and teach and you listen and follow.

5. Don’t Come & Be Disrespectful or Inflect Your Beliefs– Eryn Wise of the Indigenous Youth Council wrote this post a couple weeks ago talking about ways to come to Standing Rock and be respectful. Here it goes:

“A few things:

– If you’re coming to Standing Rock, bring your own camping/winter weather gear, book a room in advance (they book out FAST – prairieknights.com) or have a plan with friends/family when you arrive here. Supplies are abundant but should be reserved for protectors that live here and plan to be in camp longterm. Avoid zapping resources intended for those who live here.

– Don’t fundraise to get out here if you don’t intend to work hard/get arrested/contribute in a real way to this community. If you just want an Instagram photo or a legit Facebook check-in, save your time and ours. Donate to our funds and help the protectors on the ground make it through the day/week/month/winter.