White Mesa Concerned Community
protectwhitemesa.org
MEDIA ADVISORY
October 5, 2021
Contact:
Yolanda Badback, White Mesa Concerned Community, (435) 459-2461, ybadback427@gmail.com
Bradley Angel, Greenaction for Health & Environmental Justice, (415) 722-5270, bradley@greenaction.org
White Mesa Ute Organize Protest, Spiritual Walk, and Online Conference to Confront the White Mesa Uranium Mill
October 9: Protest and Spiritual Walk
What: Annual rally, protest, and spiritual walk to protect the White Mesa Ute community’s health, water, air, land, culture, and sacred sites from the nearby White Mesa uranium mill and oppose the mill becoming an international dumping ground for radioactive waste from around the world. All supporters welcome.
When: Saturday, October 9, 2021, 11am rally followed by spiritual and protest walk to the White Mesa uranium mill.
Where: The White Mesa Ute Community Center, located in White Mesa, Utah, just south of Blanding, Utah off of Highway 191. The community center is located on the west side of the highway. Turn in at the gas station and continue one block south to the community center.
Why: Citizens of the Ute Mountain Ute community of White Mesa are concerned about contamination from the nearby uranium mill and desecration of sacred sites and cultural resources.
Quotes:
“They are bringing toxic waste, radioactive waste, from places all across the United States to the mill in White Mesa. In the past, some has spilled. I can smell the mill from my house when it’s running. We are the closest community. If there’s a spill, or an accident, it’s our children who ride the school bus on these roads with the trucks every morning. That’s why we’re standing up and saying: Enough. We want to keep our home and our children safe.” –Yolanda Badback, White Mesa Concerned Community
“Here on our reservation in White Mesa, I’m worried about the mill. We are just a small community of about 300 people. Saturday is a day I will spend with my family, my kids and grandkids. Please come walk with us and support clean air and clean water for our children and our grandchildren here in our Ute Mountain Ute community.” – Thelma Whiskers, White Mesa Concerned Community
October 7-8: Online Conference
A free online conference, “Indigenous People and Environmental Justice at White Mesa: Confronting the Last Uranium Mill in the U.S.” All supporters welcome.
Panels:
Thursday, October 7, 2021, 5 p.m. MDT
Traditional Knowledge and Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Exploring the cultural implications of uranium
Moderator: Angelo Baca (Diné/Hopi)
Speakers: Thelma Whiskers (White Mesa Ute), Petuuche Gilbert (Acoma Pueblo), Jonah Yellowman (Diné), Manny Pino (Acoma), and Preston Arrow-weed (Quechan).
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CxV2hq0nTjC0kU6GT3k6_Q
Friday, October 8, 2021, 10:30 a.m. MDT
The Struggle to Protect Current and Future Generations from the White Mesa Uranium Mill: The alarming history of the mill’s operations, the White Mesa Ute Community and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe’s struggle against the mill, and action you can take to help reduce further harm
Moderators: Anferny Cly (White Mesa Concerned Community) and Bradley Angel (Greenaction) Speakers: Yolanda Badback (White Mesa Concerned Community), Sarah Fields (Uranium Watch), Scott Clow (Environmental Programs Manager, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe), and Tim Peterson (Grand Canyon Trust).
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Mq_ZmReLSpGttMlNH3EupA
Friday, October 8, 2021, 1-3 p.m. MDT
Indigenous Communities Impacted by Uranium in the United States
Moderator: Manny Pino (Acoma Pueblo)
Speakers: Twa-le Abrahamson Swan (Spokane) on the Midnite Mine, Carletta Tilousi (Havasupai) on the Canyon uranium mine, Edith Hood (Diné) on Navajo Nation uranium cleanup, Charmaine White Face (Oglala Tetuwan) on the Dewey Burdock uranium recovery project, and a representative from the Indigenous-led group, Haul No!
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CKcuRwFkTj2H1Wlw9BWD-w
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White Mesa Concerned Community is a grassroots group of concerned citizens of the Ute Mountain Ute community of White Mesa, Utah, located south of the White Mesa uranium mill. We work to inform our fellow citizens and protect our community, health, water, air, land, culture, and sacred sites from toxic contamination.
The 2021 Rally and Spiritual Walk is sponsored by the White Mesa Concerned Community and co-sponsored by the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, Canyon Country Rising Tide, Earthworks, Grand Canyon Trust, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, HEAL Utah, Living Rivers, Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment, National Parks Conservation Association, PANDOS, SLC Air Protectors, Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Uranium Watch, and the Utah Chapter of the Sierra Club.
