Thomas Tonatiuh Lopez Jr.: Birth of a Water Protector

Thomas Tonatiuh Lopez Jr., 26, is the executive director of the International Indigenous Youth Council (IIYC), an organization born out of the Standing Rock Indigenous Uprising of 2016. IIYC aims to protect people and the elements and inspire the youth to become community leaders. He will deliver 45-minute remarks about his personal experience of resisting the extractive industries at Standing Rock and the national indigenous fight against oppression. This will be followed by a 15-minute Q&A.