Commentary: On Sunday, December 4, 2016, at 4:30pm, Las Crucens will gather at Albert Johnson Park in front of the Branigan Library in prayer and solidarity with Standing Rock.
Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Keeper of the White Buffalo Calf Pipe Bundle, has called upon each of us to join him for an Interfaith Day of Prayer on December 4. For those of us unable to join him in person in North Dakota, we will gather right here in Las Cruces in solidarity with indigenous peoples and mutual love for the water.
Those who have been fortunate enough to travel to ND, know that the nonviolent water protector movement at Standing Rock is deeply rooted in prayer. The camps at Standing Rock are based on the conviction that prayer, especially collective prayers, can protect our living water.
Leaders of many faiths in Las Cruces and many Native Nations will bring us together in prayer, song, candle lighting and reflection. The public is most welcome to join in solidarity and call for a change of heart among our political leaders and law enforcement officers from protecting oil and business interests to protecting and respecting the sacred lands of indigenous peoples and the water that is necessary for life.