Session One: Innovation in Environmental Justice
"From Yellow Dirt to Yellow Water: Community Responses to Environmental Contamination in Diné Bikéyah" - Panelists: Teresa Montoya, Ph.D.; Tommy Rock, Ph.D.; Janene Yazzie; Marc Emerson, Ph.D.
Following WWII, national security interests drove needs to exploit uranium deposits in the broader Colorado Plateau region without regard to human health for mill workers or local communities. From 1944 to 1986, an estimated 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted from Navajo lands. Drawing upon a variety of personal experiences caring for family and community members, training in western science methodologies, and the integration of Diné traditional knowledge alongside concerns of ethical reciprocity, we consider the stakes of ongoing environmental contamination in our communities both in terms of chronic health as well as tribal sovereignty toward the implementation of public policy. We invite conference attendees to participate in this dialogue as we reflect on various models for engaged community based environmental and public health research practices moving forward.