09/20/2026
We just wrapped up three powerful days in Ponca Territory in Oklahoma for the Rights of Rivers Alliance Convening, a gathering rooted in something that connects every one of us: water.
From the oceans along our coasts, to the Rio Grande, the Arkansas River, the Mother Mississippi, and all the way down into the bayous of Louisiana, our waters connect us across tribal nations, communities, and generations. Together, we are an intertribal watershed, and we have a responsibility to protect and defend these waters for those here today and those yet to come.
I could not be prouder of our young people. They represented not only the Bayou Youth Leadership Project, but their families, homelands, and communities with strength, respect, and fierceness. They listened to the experiences of elders and relatives from across Turtle Island, asked questions, spoke up in spaces that welcomed their voices, and began thinking through youth led solutions for protecting the waters and communities they call home.
Our youth were also welcomed into their cultural and ceremonial experiences throughout the gathering. They participated in a ceremonial sweat and took part in sessions inside a recreated traditional Ponca earthen lodge, something that had not been recreated in more than a hundred years. These moments gave them an opportunity to experience the deep connection between culture, ceremony, land, water, and the responsibility we carry to reconnected with our traditional practices for our future generations.
This is only the beginning. I look forward to watching a future youth council take shape and seeing these young leaders continue to grow, find their voices, build relationships across watersheds, and step into leadership in many different spaces.
A heartfelt thank you to the Movement Rights team, Casey Camp-Horinek, Julia Hornik, Shannon, Ashley, and Z**i for your work, support, guidance, and trust in our young people and in this work. Thank you to the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma for welcoming us into your territory, and to every elder, youth, relative, and community member who brought your experiences, teachings, struggles, stories, and love into this space and our sponsor For a Better Bayou for your continued support.
