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Society of Native Nations

San Antonio, TX

In 2021, Climate Nexus launched an Energy Equity Regranting Project to help resource organizations, tribes, and community leaders on the frontlines of climate change and the impactful work they are doing to fight the gas industry. The energy equity transition grants prioritize grassroots groups with an annual budget of $1 million or less to boost their efforts in racially, ethnically, gender, and culturally diverse communities across the United States and at the intersections of public health and energy justice.

In our second year running the program, 11 organizations received grants ranging from $20,000 to $40,000, including the Society of Native Nations, whose work is detailed below. 

Overview

The Society of Native Nations (SSN) works from the Permian Basin to the Gulf of Mexico in Texas and from San Francisco to San Diego in California. Operating out of the San Antonio area, SSN works to recognize the existence of Native peoples in Texas, as many are not federally recognized. SNN is contesting the oil, gas, and petrochemical buildout from the Permian Basin to the Gulf Coast. SNN conducts community workshops and learning sessions and participates in the United Nations Environmental Programs Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution.

Activities

Community Events in Texas

  • Held six community meetings with 15-30 people present
  • Hosted three rallies with 60-100 people present
  • Hosted a free youth summer camp, feeding 15-20 students a day 
  • Attended 16 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) meetings, Railroad Commission meetings, and City of Corpus Christi meetings
  • Raised their voices in two meetings with EPA officials and in three meetings with Department of the Interior officials
  • Facilitated nine Native language classes virtually with 10-25 people attending

Frankie Orona, Environmental Liaison for Tribal Chief and reflected on the whitewashing of history, “Who was writing this history that our kids are supposed to learn in the future? They left out that there were Native people before that, and they only want to recognize those that they think are credible. The rest of us are supposed to just sit here and wither away with it, with their history. And it’s just another form of genocide, which is sometimes supported by those people who think they have a drop of Native blood in them. So that’s what we’re trying to do–trying to make sure that the curriculums are taught correctly as well.”

Lessons Learned

Frankie Orona, Environmental Liaison for Tribal Chief and reflected on the whitewashing of history, “Who was writing this history that our kids are supposed to learn in the future? They left out that there were Native people before that, and they only want to recognize those that they think are credible. The rest of us are supposed to just sit here and wither away with it, with their history. And it’s just another form of genocide, which is sometimes supported by those people who think they have a drop of Native blood in them. So that’s what we’re trying to do–trying to make sure that the curriculums are taught correctly as well.”

Future and Sustainability

Society of Native Nations would like to grow the size of their staff available for community engagement projects and activities that foster community involvement in their work locally, nationally, and globally. SNN would also increase their efforts on international petrochemical and chemical regulation organizing if funding permitted. As an UN-accredited NGO under the “Indigenous Peoples Major Group,” the Society of Native Nations wants to increase its attendance and participation within the United Nations Environmental Programme “UNEP” and other UN platforms addressing global policy that impacts government-to-state policy.

A group of Indigenous people holding a sign that reads "Free Palestine, the Mapuche."
A group of people stands on the steps of the Department of the Interior, holding a black banner that reads "#breakfreefromplastic"
Protestors on a city street are holding a banner that reads "99% of Plastics is made from Fossil Fuels"
A group of people stand in front of a mountain range and are raising their fists.
A white van is parked in front of a distribution center with the Society of Native Nations logo on the door
A table full of wrapped Christmas presents is attended by a woman who is handing them out to a line of people
A large group of people are gathered on a city street. They are standing in a line and holding various protest signs.
A forklift holding a stack of cardboard boxes is parked in a warehouse
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