In an engaging and thought-provoking talk at the University of Massachusetts Amherst on Nov. 14, Dr. Melanie Yazzie, assistant professor of American Indian studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, shared her insights on decolonization, Indigenous sovereignty and the effects of settler colonialism. Yazzie, co-author of “Red Nation Rising: From Bordertown Violence to Native Liberation and The Red Deal: Indigenous Action to Save the Earth,” drew from her academic and activist experiences to highlight the urgency of these struggles.

The event was part of a series hosted by UMass’s Social Thought and Political Economy Program (STPEC). STPEC Program Director Toussaint Losier described STPEC as “really unique at public research universities,” emphasizing the program’s role in fostering dialogues like Yazzie’s.

Yazzie was introduced by Makhai Dickerson-Pells a doctoral student in African American Studies who received his bachelor of arts in history from UMass Amherst in 2021. Growing up in Cape Cod, Dickerson-Pells shared his experiences of dual identities and systemic inequities that deepened his connection to Indigenous struggles.

He explained that certain inequities stem from generational history and can be influenced and impacted by factors such as homelessness, loss of land, access, fishing and harvesting rights, among others. Dickerson-Pells introduced Yazzie stating that she has made “invaluable contributions to the field” and stressed that those discussions “couldn’t be more timely.”

Yazzie began her talk by explaining the concept of border towns, where Indigenous border meets and confronts settler borders, and explained that racism and violence in these towns are extremely common. She recalled the summer of 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, and marching with her chapter of the Black Lives Matter movement in Albuquerque, N.M. Yazzie said she continued her writing during this time and would protest from the evening to the early morning hours.

Yazzie explained the powerful relationship between her practice of protesting and explaining these themes in her writing, saying the protests were, “well coordinated and very large at that time.” Commenting on this period of protest and turmoil, she said that it was a level of violence that was “difficult to comprehend even as you were living through it.”

Yazzie then read passages of her writing in five different sections broken up by key words: Settler Colonialism, Solidarity, Land, Decolonization and Liberation. Each passage included definitions of these terms, and the importance and cruciality of understanding each one when discussing decolonization on a larger scale and in different applications.

Yazzie’s closing remarks emphasized the increasing criminalization of decolonization movements and the challenges faced by Indigenous and Palestinian liberation efforts following the events of Oct. 7, 2023. Yazzie pointed to the importance of student protests and demonstrations and showed images of a protest held by students at the California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt shortly after Oct. 7.

She continued by explaining that these movements are making tangible change within the state, and how students beginning to make correlations between the LandBack movement and Palestine liberation movements are threatening their institutions and are evoking real change. She commented that the global movements for decolonization are some of the largest she has seen and have “real materiality and force behind it” and “incredible hope.”

“As long as we continue to organize and support,” Yazzie said, these movements and groups can continue to hold power through resistance.

The talk concluded with questions from the audience for Yazzie, where audience members explored topics such as effectively organizing movements rooted in Land Back principles and addressing environmental and climate justice within the context of decolonization.

Abby Joyce can be reached at [email protected].