Photo Credit Christi Root
June 1-2, 2018 Blacksburg, Virginia at Virginia Tech
More Information at appvoices.org/wjs/
The Water Justice Summit is a leadership development, networking, and skills-building gathering June 1-2 at Virginia Tech. The keynote panel and art exhibit are open to the general public, but space is limited for the full itinerary of training. If you’re interested in the training, please register early. There is a sliding scale registration fee and also scholarships will be available for those unable to pay. Registration includes lodging, meals, and childcare.
Keynote Panel
Elise Keaton, Kwavol Hi’osik, Mary Cromer, and Tracey Edwards will discuss the work for clean water defense and access in their respective communities, and the importance of building a unified movement for water justice. This event is free and open to the public, with snacks and beverages. Mothers for Water Justice is being hosted by the Virginia Tech Institute for Peace Studies and Violence Prevention, and Appalachian Voices.
Elise Keaton is a West Virginia lawyer and activist involved in fighting mountaintop removal coal mining and educating communities about the impacts of fracking and natural gas infrastructure. She was served as the Executive Director of Keeper of the Mountains Foundation until 2013 when she transitioned to work on community education about the impacts of fracking and natural gas infrastructure.
Kwavol Hi’osik is an Akimel O’Odham mother residing in her ancestral homelands in so-called Arizona. She is involved in community organizing around food sovereignty and land and water defense in and near the Gila River Indian Community, and has had experiences with several indigenous resistance campaigns including the Dakota Access Pipeline battle.
Mary Cromer is an environmental justice attorney working for the Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center, Inc. in Whitesburg, Ky., where she represents individuals in a variety of cases related to the destruction of land and water from surface coal mining and land owners’ rights issues. Mary also represents groups facing environmental crises.
Tracey EdwardsTracey Edwards is a community leader in Belews Creek, N.C. who has worked with her neighbors in the Residents for Coal Ash Cleanup group, Appalachian Voices, and the NAACP to hold the state of North Carolina and Duke Energy accountable for coal-related water pollution and coal ash cleanup in her area.
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