Desert Palm United Church of Christ presents Standing on Sacred Ground: Islands of Sanctuary

Sunday, October 23, 2016, 5:30pm
Desert Palm UCC, Tempe, Arizona
FREE and open to the public

Indigenous People’s Day

The United Church of Christ is part of a growing movement to rename Columbus Day, “Indigenous People’s Day.”  This name change reflects the evolving realization that Europeans historically said to have “discovered” the Americas were actually agents of colonialization and genocide whose devastating invasions and exploitative practices helped pave the way for the current ecological catastrophe unfolding all around us.  In a spirit of solidarity with oppressed Indigenous peoples throughout the world, Desert Palm UCC and the national UCC are committed to truth-telling, restoration and the ongoing struggle for justice.

In our support of Indigenous People, we will be screening the award winning four part series, Standing On Sacred Ground, touching on the plight of Indigenous peoples around the globe.

Islands of Sanctuary

Aboriginal Australians and Native Hawaiians reclaim land and resist the erosion of culture and the environment.

Native Hawaiians and Aboriginal Australians resist threats to their sacred lands in a growing international movement to defend human rights and protect the environment. In Australia’s Northern Territory, Aboriginal clans maintain Indigenous Protected Areas and resist the destructive effects of a mining boom. In Hawai‘i, indigenous ecological and spiritual practices are used to restore the island of Kaho‘olawe after 50 years of military use as a weapons testing range. Featuring Patrick Dodson (Yawuru), Davianna McGregor (Hawaiian), Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe), Oren Lyons (Onondaga), philosopher Satish Kumar and author Barry Lopez. Narrated by Graham Greene (Oneida), with storytelling by Rhoda Roberts (Bundjalung) and Luana Busby-Neff (Hawaiian).

More information: http://desertpalmucc.org/?events=film-series-standing-on-sacred-ground-islands-of-sanctuary