"First, make no mistake: It was Native Americans who spearheaded and bore the brunt of the campaign against the TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline.

The news media continue to engage in loathsome racist marginalization by ignoring Native involvement in this struggle, touting the opposition of environmentalists. With all due respect to our environmentalist allies, they were following the Indian lead, but it was Native Americans of Canada and the U.S. in the forefront of this protracted struggle, which is still far from over. Nonetheless, a major battle has been won.

The rejection of the pipeline by President Obama was a tremendous victory for tribal nations of the U.S. and Canada. Obama listened to the voices of this land’s first peoples. In early December, Native leaders presented the president with the “Mother Earth Accord” that outlined the unique U.S. Tribal and Canadian First Nations objections to the pipeline."

Get the Story:
Albert Bender: Pipeline rejection is a huge Native American victory (The Tennessean 1/28)

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