Prayer Gatherings, Panel Discussion, and Benefit Concert Planned in Flagstaff

During March 8th-April 5th, more than 120 participants of the Longest Walk 2 will be travelling through Arizona. The Longest Walk 2 is a five-month journey on foot from San Francisco, CA to Washington, D.C. for the protection of Mother Earth & Native American rights. Flagstaff area groups have planned prayer gatherings, a panel discussion, and a benefit concert to support the walk, between March 21-29. These events will help bring awareness and support to local issues.

"The Longest Walk 2 and its participants are calling attention to Sacred Sites - that is what has brought us to Arizona." Said Dennis Banks, co-founder American Indian Movement and Longest Walk 2 organizer. "Native Peoples' cultural identity lies rooted in the Sacred Sites of our communities. We stand in solidarity with the caretakers of this land, the Dine', the Hopi, the Havasupai, the Hualapai and other Indigenous nations, who fight to protect the Sacred Sites: The San Francisco Peaks, Big Mountain, Red Butte, Woodruff Butte, and Mt. Taylor."

"Decision makers in Washington D.C. are planning ways to get onto our tribal lands to extract mineral resources, these unsustainable practices are contributing to climate change." Said Enei Begaye, Director of the Black Mesa Water Coalition. "The coal mining on Black Mesa that has been going on for over 30 years, and is still going on, has had detrimental impacts not only environmentally but culturally, socially, and economically." Begaye said.

The Longest Walk 2 also marks the 30th anniversary of the original Longest Walk of 1978 that resulted in historic changes for Native Americans. During the 1978 Longest Walk, thousands converged on Washington, D.C. in an effort that defeated 11 pieces of legislation in Congress that would have abrogated Native American Treaties. As a result of the 1978 Walk, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (1978) was passed... read more>>>

The Longest Walk 2 has already entered Arizona. Support is being organized for the weekend of March 14-16 near Ash Fork.

For more information, including a schedule of Arizona events, visit www.longestwalk.org