“My people are beautiful, even though they’re poisoned.”

“My people are beautiful, even though they’re poisoned.”

A light rain was glistening on the leaves and needles of the pine, spruce, and poplar forests that embrace the community of Asubpeeschoseewagong – also known as Grassy Narrows – when we arrived at the blockade site. Our delegation had come to this community in northwestern Ontario to meet with Judy Da Silva, an elder, activist, and community leader in the struggle for justice for her people and their waterways. We sat together under the shelter …