Impacts of Participation in the #NoDAPL Movement on Indigenous College Student Activists

• In Event: Centering Voices: Developing Methods to Support Activism and Overcome Antiracism

Abstract

This paper examines the experiences of Indigenous student activists in the movement against the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock in what is currently known as North Dakota. Taken from a larger portraiture study, this paper utilizes data from 20 semi-structured interviews with Native college students. Findings show the ongoing impacts of participation in the movement on college coursework, post-graduation jobs, and personal cultural revitalization. After experiencing an “Indigenous otherwise” at the resistance camps, students hope to work toward building that future for everyone.

Author

• Adrienne Keene, Brown University