Facing Race: A National Conference in St. Louis, MO — November 20-22, 2024

Marina Thomas

Land and Water Defender | O'odham and Piipaash Alliance
Pronouns: She/ her/ they/ them
Marina Thomas is an O'odham mother from Salt River Arizona. She is a community organizer and land/water defender for O'odham Piipaash Alliance. Marina is currently working on dismantling how the economy is viewed as progress in relation to disrupting the land and the relationship her people have with the original territory.

Presentations from Facing Race 2022

Let Our Ancestors Rest

While descendants of these ancestors learned of the excavation and reached out to the city to halt the project, the city won't respond, and tribal governments are conflicted when abiding by federal policy. The United Stated government had enacted laws and regulations which favor and protect land ownership, economic development, and the perpetuation of colonization. This means when Indigenous Peoples have something to rightfully complain about, the U.S. government pulls out their own set of rules, which do not align with Indigenous knowledge and moral systems and identifies federal and state regulations as a superior power. 

Speakers: Marina Thomas, Melody Santa Cruz, Tina Austin