Yá'át'ééh! Welcome!
The Social Justice Fellowship Multimedia Toolkit is a quick guide to help tell your truth about the impacts of Uranium Mining & Extraction Industries in our communities. Our time is now to tell our stories from our perspective and create change through storytelling.
Our films and podcast are told from the perspective of young Diné women that come from communities directly impacted by uranium. We believe by creating a deeper dialogue with art and media we are able to change the narrative for indigenous people.
Since Fall 2019, each of our of fellows have gained skills through various trainings/workshops from community organizing, policy advocacy, & impacts of uranium mining . Our goal is to ensure we continue to educate ourselves about the challenges our communities, organizations, and leaders are facing when protecting our land and families from uranium industry. With our Social Justice Multimedia Toolkit we merge our community organizing skills and media skill into one kit that provides the tools needed for you to create your own film or podcast to create social change at ANY AGE.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Welcome
- Introduction
- Natives in Media
- Multi-Media Training
- Background of Local Issues
- Featured Participants Projects
- Call to Actions
- Evaluation
Introduction
From the indigenous perspective, oral storytelling is cultural survival technique used for millennia. For our toolkit we will be utilizing the power of storytelling through films and podcasts. Through art we are able to create meaningful dialogue, share knowledge, and continue to live in harmony with mother earth. We have (3) films and (7) podcasts & numerous photographs that have pre and post tests for individuals, schools, communities to complete and begin the dialogue.
Meet our Social Justice Fellows
Shaneyka Yazzie
Ya'ateeh, my name is Shaneyka Yazzie and I currently reside in Shiprock, NM. My clans are Red House, Many Hogans, Folded Arms and Salt clan. I work full-time as a Research Assistant and go to school part-time at Dine College in pursuance of my Bachelors in Public Health. I am also a mother to two wonderful boys, 4 and 9. I have been with the fellowship taking in all the great mentorship and knowledge since 2019.
Zunneh-bah Jim
Zunneh-bah (zuh•neh•bah) Martin is Diné, Modoc, Aztec, Mayan, Tarahumara, African American, Irish, and German and is enrolled in the Navajo Nation. As a Navajo woman, she is of the Sleeping Rock Clan, born for Mexican (Aztec, Mayan, Tarahumara) ancestry, her paternal grandfather is of the Edge Water Clan, and her late maternal grandfather is of the Modoc tribe.She was raised and lives on the Navajo Reservation in Tohłakai, New Mexico.
She received her Bachelor of Arts Degree from the Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO, majoring in Southwest Studies and double minoring in Indigenous Studies and Film/Media Studies. She is working on a Master of Arts Degree in Native American Studies at the University of New Mexico. As a professional, she serves as a Graduate Assistant for the UNM Native American Studies Department. Zunneh-bah has also received college credits from the Navajo Technical University in Crownpoint, NM, the Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs in Aotearoa (New Zealand), and the Umbra Institute in Perugia, Italy. Her past experiences include working with the Navajo Nation Department of Health, New Mexico Appleseed, Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health: Navajo Community Health Outreach, New Mexico Social Justice Equity Institute, Middlebury College Bread Loaf Teacher Network, the Navajo Nation Division of Community Development, We R Native, Generation Indigenous (Gen-I), and other organizations. Zunneh-bah works as a youth leader and mentor with the Next Generation Leadership Network, La Casa Roja, Indigenous Womxn Working Group, Indigenous Youth Leadership Program, and other groups. She served as a UNITY (United National Indian Tribal Youth) Earth Ambassador and is currently serving as a Social Justice Fellow with Indigenous Lifeways.
Zunneh-bah advocates for nonviolent social change, Indigenous/civil rights, environmental rights, socionatural healing/justice, animal rescue/protection, health/wellness, zero waste eco-friendly sustainable lifestyle, community gardening, Indigenous language/culture revitalization, and more. She also advocates for the awareness and prevention of domestic violence, gun violence, substance abuse, child/elder abuse, bullying, missing and murdered Indigenous Peoples, and more. She founded an online initiative called U NSPIR “you inspire” (United Natives Striving for the Protection of Indigenous Rights) in 2015 to promote the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Currently, she focuses on graduate research in socionatural/historical/intergenerational trauma and she continues to promote awareness about socionatural health/healing.
Amber Gaddy
Tsénjíkiní (Honeycomb rock people) born for Tábaahá (Water's edge clan) Lives in Navajo Station, AZ. Lifelong learner, avid child of Earthmother preserving cultural land based knowledge, active in self sustainability(Gallup Solar Team 4) and dryland farming. I am a caregiver, an older sister, an aunt, a grandma and as five-fingered spiritual beings we our caretakers of mother earth.
Indigenous Representation Matters
Indigenous People are the original storytellers of the Western Hemisphere. We have a right to tell our stories from our perspective. Indigenous people make up 1.3% of the population in the United States and far too long the mainstream media has falsely and inadequately portrayed indigenous people in the media. This is the time to tell YOUR STORY! Erasure of indigenous existence, culturally appropriations and the historical genocide of our people are the reasons why indigenous people MUST be present in media in all forms.
TIP # 1: Know your COMMUNITY! Know YOUR story!
TIP #2: Learn from local leaders/artists in your community!
Award winning Diné Filmmaker Deidra Peaches shares her knowledge on Pre-Production,Production, and Post-Production. Each training video is one hour and specifically designed for mobile media productions.
Award-winning Diné Podcaster Andi Murphy explains her 10 step process for creating award winning content! Training video is one hour long.
TIP #3: Be CREATIVE!
Whether you are creating a film or podcast, it’s extremely important to express yourself and tell your story. Here are some questions to ask yourself or interviewee:
- What solutions or recommendations do you have to help create a healthy community?
- Why is it important to recognize our connection to the land?
- What issues in your community should be addressed to families and future generations?
- What do you think people should know about you and your story?
- Why is it important to you and your community to be aware of the impacts of uranium mining?
Podcast Editing Apps recommended by Andi Murphy:
Film Editing Apps recommended by Deidra Peaches:
Training videos
Mobile Media Production with Deidra Peaches Part I
Mobile Media Production with Deidra Peaches Part II
Mobile Media Production with Deidra Peaches Part III
Podcast 101 with Andi Murphy
Poetry with Def-i
Policy Advocacy with Strong Families
Graphic Design with Vanessa Bowen
Quick Facts about Uranium
- Uranium is a natural metal element found in rock, soil, and water.
- Radiation is the release of energy and particles from uranium and certain other elements.
- If you have contact with high levels of uranium or radiation, it can cause health problems.
- Because of uranium mining in the past, some soil, water, rocks, and structures on the Navajo Nation have unsafe levels of uranium and radiation.
- You can take steps to protect yourself from contact with uranium.
- The unique geology of the region makes the Navajo Nation rich in uranium, a radioactive ore in high demand after the development of atomic power and weapons at the close of World War II in the 1940s. According to the U.S. EPA, approximately thirty million tons of uranium ore were extracted during mining operations within the Navajo Nation from 1944 to 1986.1 The federal government (i.e., the Atomic Energy Commission [AEC]) was the sole purchaser of uranium until 1966. The AEC continued to purchase uranium ore until 1970, although sales to the commercial industry began in 1966.
- During the peak in the mid-1950s, there were about 750 mines in operation.17
- More than 1000 abandoned uranium mines shafts are now estimated to lie on Navajo land.
- Copies of pay stubs provided by a Navajo miner from 1949 show an hourly wage of $0.81 to $1.00 (D. Crank, written communication, 1998).
- Today, the miners and their families say that they had no idea that there were longterm health hazards associated with uranium mining. Virtually all of the Navajo miners report that they were not educated about the hazards of uranium mining and were not provided with protective equipment or ventilation.2
- The health impacts related to uranium mining include lung cancer, respiratory disease, renal cancer, renal failure and other chronic renal diseases such as nephritis and kidney tubal tissue injury. Other health impacts include myeloma, lymphomas, and primary cancer of the thyroid, male or female breast, esophagus, stomach, pharynx, small intestine, pancreas, bile ducts, gall bladder, salivary gland, urinary bladder, brain, colon, ovary, liver, or lung.
- Traditional, community, or personal stories about uranium can be shared
- Currently, many abandoned uranium mines don’t have proper signage or fencing.
Dooda (No) Hydrogen
Hydrogen is the newest threat to our communities. Learn more about how hydrogen impacts on the environment. https://www.nofalsesolutions.com/_files/ugd/ee62dc_e10681296ba54efe98186679b69fd34c.pdf
Quick Facts about Hydrogen:
- Smallest element in the periodic table.
- Most Flammable element, burns ultra violent or transparent.
- Odorless
Water
New Mexico Governor plan invest multimillion dollars for her Strategic Water Supply Plan. Learn more on our take at this link here: https://issuu.com/nofalsesolutions.com/docs/bleeding_new_mexico_dry_-_final_1-22-24
No False Solutions
Learn more about current threats happening in New Mexico by visiting the No False Solitons Coalition website. https://www.nofalsesolutions.com/
Hoodwinked in the HotHouse
Identify False Solutions terms like “Net Zero” “Nature-based Soltions” and other Carbon Market Propaganda by using the link below.https://climatefalsesolutions.org/wp-content/uploads/HOODWINKED_ThirdEdition_On-Screen_version.pdf
Additional Resources
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3222290/pdf/0921410.pdf
- https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-06/documents/atsdr_uranium_and_radiation_basics_dec_2014_0.pdf
- https://www.congress.gov/116/meeting/house/109694/documents/HHRG-116-II06-20190625-SD013.pdf
"Overcoming Seeds of Mass Destruction" by Amber Gaddy
To watch Amber’s film click here.
“Impacts of Uranium Mining in Diné Bikéyah” by Zunneh-bah Jim
To watch Zunneh-bah’s film click here
Podcast
An all Diné Matriarch podcast focusing on the impacts of uranium mining on their homelands and focus on their solutions and pathway to healing for themselves and future generations.
SJF Podcast Series includes six (6) episodes that highlights current fellows, Shaneyka Yazzie, Amber Gaddy, and Zunneh-bah Martin, and Director Krystal Curley. Each episode will feature various topics related to the impacts of uranium mining, solutions to our energy consumption, healing Mother Earth.
Episode 1
Learn more about Amber and her journey moving back to the Reservation.
Episode 2
Hear about Shaneyka and her stories growing up in Sanostee, NM.
Episode 3
Zunneh-bah shares why she is passionate about her community and how she’s making a difference.
Episode 4
Meet Indigenous Lifeways’ Executive Director, Krystal Curley.
Episode 5
What is Uranium? Learn more by clicking the link below.
Episode 6
Listen to why our fellows think about Earth Day, Rez Dogs, and Illegal Dumping.
1. Share this toolkit!
2. Share YOUR COMMUNITY knowledge through MEDIA and continue to educate your community in creative ways.
3. Call your local leaders and ask them to continue to protect our land against uranium mining and demand clean up and access to clean water.
Ahéhee'!
Thank you for experiencing our Social Justice Multimedia Toolkit!
Credits:
Created with images by VidoFotografia - "monument valley az usa" • egorshitikov - "utah red rocks red" • egorshitikov - "utah red rocks red" • Bokskapet - "headphones clapper clapperboard" • SaadiaAMYii - "planner glasses time management" • PIX1861 - "microphone tablet podcast" • misterfarmer - "usa arizona lower"