The Red Nation Launches Part Three of The Red Deal: Heal Our Planet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

APRIL 27, 2020

TURTLE ISLAND, WESTERN HEMISPHERE.

WHAT: The Red Nation officially launches the third and final part of The Red Deal: Heal our Planet (full PDF download available here)

WHEN: Part Three addresses the measures we must take to heal the planet, centering the already-critical role that Indigenous caretakers play in practicing sustainability. Part Three argues that we must take our cue from Indigenous science, technology, and diplomacy to develop infrastructures of caretaking that are capable of multispecies restoration and the liberation of all life. Given that caretakers are essential but undervalued workers in the current system, we must advocate for caretaking to be paid and for caretakers to organize and lead a workers’ struggle that will topple the violent and destructive system of global capitalism once the COVID-19 pandemic ends.

WHERE: The Red Deal can be implemented everywhere and anywhere. When our future is under attack, what do we do? Rise up fight back!

“COVID-19 is a harsh but crucial lesson about the need for collective healing, which will require militant movements to liberate the planet from systems and structures that target whole nations and species. Although there are many points of entry into this global struggle, there can be no doubt that Indigenous movements for decolonization and liberation must be at the center of our collective efforts” (from the Executive Summary).

WHY: The Red Nation invites allied movements, comrades, and relatives to read, endorse and adopt a comprehensive Red Deal platform. The Red Deal is one-part visionary platform, one-part practical toolkit. It is not region- or nation-specific; it is a platform that encompasses everyone, including our non-Indigenous comrades and relatives who live on Indigenous land. Any aspect of the Red Deal can become the basis for grassroots campaigns in your local context. What are the most pressing issues your community faces? Contaminated water? Police violence? Inadequate housing? Lack of jobs? Polluted land? Lack of access to quality healthcare? The Red Deal addresses all these issues under one comprehensive vision for change.

We hope the Red Deal will be adopted to build successful movements that can halt climate change and prioritize Indigenous liberation. But make no mistake. The Red Deal advocates a particular method of change; one that emphasizes grassroots movement building and draws from people-power to enact reform. This isn’t the usual approach to change, which dictates that we put effort and faith into electing or lobbying a politician who may or may not enact reforms that will result in real change. As we say in the Red Deal, climate change will kill us before this approach to “change” actually changes anything.

The Red Deal makes the bold claim that politicians cannot do what only mass movements can do. Political elites act in the interest of corporate bosses, not the people (or the earth). The Red Deal challenges this status quo. It seeks to inspire working class people to build power from below, a kind of power that can shape our future rapidly and strategically.

We have barely a decade to turn back the tide of climate disaster. We did not create this disaster, but we have inherited it. It is time to reclaim the life and destiny that has been stolen from us and rise up together to confront this challenge and build a world where all life can thrive. Politicians may or may not follow; this is up to them. But we will design, build, and lead this movement with or without them. Join us!

#seizethebanksnottheland

#allstruggleisclimatestruggle

#buildcommonstruggle

#fromthebottomup

#defeatfossilfuels

#inthewayheretostay

#sameolddeal

#beyondTheGND

#protecttheland

#protectthepeople

#nogreencapitalism

Twitter: @The_Red_Nation