HONOLULU (May 26, 2021) For Pacific writers Julian Aguon and Kathy Jetñil-Kijiner, art and activism are inseparable. But while creative expression can be an act of resistance in itself, both authors also see it as a powerful means of fostering resilience and inspiring others to action. Aguon, a human rights lawyer and writer from Guam, and Jetñil-Kijiner, a Marshallese poet
The Complicated Truth of Climate Change in the Marshall Islands Not all islands are sinking. We can fight global warming while acknowledging the wonder of the natural world. HILARY HOSIA/AFP/Getty Images Tidal water in Majuro Atoll In 2011, as an anxious Republican from Utah, I fly with my husband and nine-month-old son to Majuro Atoll, the capital of the Marshall Islands. We fly D.C. to L.A., L.A. to Honolulu, then Honolulu southwest for 2,300 miles to Majuro. I don’t blink at the carbon footprint of my flights, not yet. I’m just grateful the baby sleeps, log-like, on a questionably hygienic hearth of two airline tray tables. I’m worried about the unknowns ahead, disasters to foresee and forestall: feral dogs, garbage pollution, disease, food insecurity, droughts, floods, typhoons, leftover nuclear radiation, and, of course, sharks. I don’t consider these potential issues in terms of their likelihood, scope, or scale. My mind races.
Navajo sustainable business advocate receives $100,000 for grassroots and national efforts Courtesy of Clara Pratte Clara Pratte: “There’s a Navajo saying that when there’s a world to heal, there’s going to be a mother to do it a woman to do it.” David Colgan | December 17, 2020 The UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability presented the 2020 Pritzker Emerging Environmental Genius Award to Clara Pratte, a Navajo advocate for tribal communities and a member of President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team who focuses on tribal engagement. Pratte advises tribes across the United States on economic development issues, with the goals of alleviating poverty and advancing tribal sovereignty. She founded Strongbow Strategies, a firm that assists tribal and government clients with business and technical issues, in 2013. She is also part of the leadership team of Navajo Power, a public benefit corporation that transitions tribal lands from extractive energy industries such as coal to large-scale solar energy.