Take a Step on the Longest Walk
Indigenous Resistance Goes from SF to DC
By Lupita Torres

Native Resistance has a long history of being swept under the rug or diluted into a novelty by this country. Indigenous Nations all over the Americas have a rich history of revolutionary and cultural resistance, despite the economic and legislative attempts by the U.S. Government and other governments to silence, murder and enslave us. This process of assimilation continues to this day, all over the world. During the 1960's and 70's organizations in the Bay Area such as the American Indian Movement and United Native Americans sparked a resurgence in pride and cultural traditions in Native communities on the reservations and in urban areas all across Amerika. Locally, meeting places such as the Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland and D-Q University in Davis were - and continue to be - a comfort spot and communications network for urban Natives away from the reservations, rancherias and Nations from all over Turtle Island.

In 1978 the Native American community united against the many injustices committed against them at the hands of the U.S. Government, by embarking on the original Longest Walk from Alcatraz in S.F to Washington D.C. - to protest racist legislation that would revoke tribal sovereignty.   As a result of The Walk, 11 bills in Congress were defeated and the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1978 was passed, allowing tribes federal legislative right to freedom of religion. Out of this organized grassroots effort, a manifesto for The Longest Walk was written to raise awareness about issues concerning Indigenous Nations and Mother Earth. Unfortunately, the issues presented in the original Longest Walk 1978 Manifesto are just as relevant, if not more pressing, today.

On the 30 th anniversary of the original Longest Walk of 1978, and in response to the continuing attacks on Indigenous Nations, another Walk will take place on Feb. 11, 2008 starting at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco and ending 5 months later in Washington D.C on July 11, 2008. D-Q University, California's only Tribal college, will be hosting The Walk on campus Feb.9-12, 2008. Various events and performances will occur during this time. The Longest Walk 2 will take two routes. The Northern route will travel the Original Route of 1978 across 11 states and 3,600 miles. The Southern route will follow the 2006 Sacred Run route across 13 states and 4,400 miles. Both routes will visit Sacred Sites across the Nation and promote awareness and education about Sacred Sites protection and the preservation of our Mother Earth.

The Longest Walk 2 is a spiritual walk created by local grassroots community efforts on a national level, to bring attention to the environmental imbalance of Mother Earth. Sacred Sites are being desecrated all over the world and need to be protected. Our cultures and land are being commodified. Unsustainable mining practices, coal/nuclear power plant pollution and toxic waste dumps are all issues disproportionately affecting Indigenous communities around the globe. We are in the nuclear era where we can destroy the world in a heartbeat! This disharmony is directly related to the health and wellbeing of all of our own communities. The message from the Longest Walk of 1978 will be the same: “All Life is Sacred, Protect Mother Earth." With Global Warming upon us, this message is not a matter of if, but when.   Will the Seventh Generation, our generation, have the ears and hearts to listen?   I have faith that we do. The very existence of humanity depends on it.

For more information about The Longest Walk 2 go to www.longestwalk.org