The Green Action club and Black Student Union held a silent rally and protest against the Dakota Access pipeline and Wells Fargo Bank on Nov. 16.
Members of Lehigh University, the LEPOCO Peace Center and the Alliance for Sustainable Communities – Lehigh Valley gathered around the UC flagpole for the rally. Dar Khabbaz, a Cherokee ceremonial leader, Dan Hunter, Rob Aptaker and Grandmother Shirley Khabbaz, of Cherokee heritage, began the silent rally with drumming and singing.
After the rally, protesters marched off campus and headed to Wells Fargo, located on 301 Broadway. There, Andrew Goldman, ’19, a member of Green Action’s executive board, lead a protest against Wells Fargo Bank for supporting and funding the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The protesters later returned to campus to end the protest in a discussion at the flagpole. On the walk back to the flagpole, the protesters were stopped by Bethlehem police who questioned what the protesters were doing and where they were organizing from. The photos from the protest can be seen here.
Members of Lehigh University and Bethlehem community gather at the flagpole in protest against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The protest was organized by the Green Action Club and the Black Student Union. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)Protesters hold up signs during the silent rally. The sign on the left represents a Cherokee story of the ongoing war between the good and loving side and the spiteful and angry side within individuals. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)The protesters gather together and stand in silence at the rally. Members of the Black Student Union, Green Action, LEPOCO and Alliance for Sustainable Communities attended the rally. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)Protester holds up sign. It reads,”Love water not oil.” (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)A sign held up by protester at rally. The sign reads “#Standwithstandingrock.” (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)Dar Khabbaz, a Cherokee ceremonial leader, sits in chair at rally. The sign at the back of his chair reads, “Honor holy sites.” (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)Dan Hunter drums at rally. Jacqline Wolf Tice, ’17G, of Cherokee heritage said that drumming is traditionally a means of prayer and a way to help others focus in honoring the purpose of the gathering. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)The drummers sing 7-Generation songs and Lakota as they drum. The songs were specifically chosen for the occasion. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)(From left) Dan Hunter, Rob Aptaker, grandmother Shirley Khabbaz and Dar Khabbaz gather around the drum. The drummers are traditionally positioned around the drum. Usually, the men sit at the drum and the women stand singing the higher notes that strengthen the prayer or intent of the song. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)A protester wears buffalo skull at the rally. Tice says the Buffalo Nation is a symbol of the resilience and sovereignty of Indian people. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)Students join hands as the procession begins to walk off campus. The rally was headed towards its next destination. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)The rally heads toward Wells Fargo Bank in protest of the company’s support of the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Wells Fargo is reported to have funded about half a billion dollars in credit to the company contructing the pipeline. (Ashley Omoma/B&W StaffAndrew Goldman, ’19, speaks through a megaphone at rally in front of Wells Fargo Bank. Protesters at the rally said they are protesting the company because it targeted and provided subprime loans to families of color during the housing crisis only to plummet them further into debt. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)A protester holds a sign at Wells Fargo Bank. The sign reads, “people over pipelines.” (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)The protesters cross the street. They are headed back to campus. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)Protesters are briefly stopped by Bethlehem Police as they head back towards the flagpole. The police questioned organizers of the protest on what they were doing before allowing them to continue to campus. (Ashley Omoma/B&W Staff)
Dakota Access Pipeline protest.
Dear friends at Lehigh University, I was a native of the Great Plains near the Standing Rock location. My great grandfather is buried in an unmarked grave near the site of the DAPL. As a European immigrant, he wound up in the environmentally daunting area which had no heating fuel. There were no trees, but only animal manure and grass to burn in the frightfully cold winters. They had to rely on beast of burden ox and horse to till the soil and harvest the crops and transport their products to market. Inventions of tractors, thrashers and combines early in the 1900’s .certainly brought a change in humanity. The poor animals were spared of their pitiful duty by gasoline powered tractors thrashers, and trucks. The upper Midwest is a vast area dedicated to production of food. This would not be possible without the sacrifice of the Native Americans and the invention of energy consuming machines. The discovery of petroleum in North Dakota has turned out to be a valuable asset in our quality of life. The use of the Dakota Access Pipeline seems like a good alternative to having refineries scattered all along the waterways of the .Missouri River. Certainly there is room for many opinions on this. I am an elderly person, and I understand the worries about the environment. In my lifetime, the population of the world has nearly doubled. The need to feed ourselves can only be satisfied through the use of energy. I hope you will consider these arguments when you set forth your opinions.
Thank you.
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Dakota Access Pipeline protest.
Dear friends at Lehigh University, I was a native of the Great Plains near the Standing Rock location. My great grandfather is buried in an unmarked grave near the site of the DAPL. As a European immigrant, he wound up in the environmentally daunting area which had no heating fuel. There were no trees, but only animal manure and grass to burn in the frightfully cold winters. They had to rely on beast of burden ox and horse to till the soil and harvest the crops and transport their products to market. Inventions of tractors, thrashers and combines early in the 1900’s .certainly brought a change in humanity. The poor animals were spared of their pitiful duty by gasoline powered tractors thrashers, and trucks. The upper Midwest is a vast area dedicated to production of food. This would not be possible without the sacrifice of the Native Americans and the invention of energy consuming machines. The discovery of petroleum in North Dakota has turned out to be a valuable asset in our quality of life. The use of the Dakota Access Pipeline seems like a good alternative to having refineries scattered all along the waterways of the .Missouri River. Certainly there is room for many opinions on this. I am an elderly person, and I understand the worries about the environment. In my lifetime, the population of the world has nearly doubled. The need to feed ourselves can only be satisfied through the use of energy. I hope you will consider these arguments when you set forth your opinions.
Thank you.
Comment Policy
Comments posted to The Brown and White website are reviewed by a moderator before being approved. Incendiary speech or harassing language, including comments targeted at individuals, may be deemed unacceptable and not published. Spam and other soliciting will also be declined.
The Brown and White also reserves the right to refuse the publication of entirely anonymous comments.