MANY INDIGENOUS YOUTH HOLD PRECIOUS WISDOM FROM THEIR ANCESTORS AND AN INNATE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO LIVE IN BALANCE WITH NATURE. IN LIGHT OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS, WE ARE IN DESPERATE NEED OF INDIGENOUS WISDOM TO GUIDE US BACK.
Born and raised on the Standing Rock Nation, Anpa’o Locke, 24, is an Afro-Indigenous (Húŋkpapȟa Lakota & Ahtna Dené) writer and filmmaker. Growing up, Anpa’o witnessed the national media stifle the voices of the water protectors on Standing Rock and experienced a lack of Afro-Indigenous representation in the media. She became dedicated to uplifting Native voices and concerns. She has a degree in Film Studies from Mount Holyoke College, where she sharpened her storytelling skills and learned how to use media as a tool to tell Native stories.
Anpa’o understands firsthand the importance of protecting the land and keeping natural resources viable for future generations. She is passionate about teaching Native youth to leverage media and use storytelling to create more awareness of social and environmental injustices faced by tribal nations across the country and make impactful change in their communities.
The seven-day Indigenous Youth Leadership Conference, gives her the platform to help other Native youth like her develop their own leadership skills, engage in strategic planning for their own advocacy work and campaigns, and foster a network of youth leaders that will offer each other critical support in their own environmental justice community work.
