"Beyond Acknowledgements: Indigenous Ways of Knowing"
Despite the undeniable fact that Indigenous communities are among the most affected by climate devastation, Indigenous ways of knowing are nowhere to be found in mainstream environmental policy or discourse. And while holistic land, water, and forest management practices born from millennia of Indigenous knowledge systems have much to teach all of us, Indigenous ways of knowing has long been ignored, otherized, or perceived as “soft”–the product of a systematic, centuries-long campaign of racism, colonialism, extractive capitalism, and delegitimization. In this presentation, Dr. Hernandez will present ways in which we can honor Indigenous ways of knowing.
Dr. Jessica Hernandez (Binnizá & Maya Ch’orti’) is a transnational Indigenous scholar, scientist, and community advocate based in the Pacific Northwest. She has an interdisciplinary academic background ranging from marine sciences to environmental physics. She advocates for climate, energy, and environmental justice through her scientific and community work and strongly believes that Indigenous sciences can heal our Indigenous lands. She is the author of the award winning book, Fresh Banana Leaves: Healing Indigenous Landscapes through Indigenous Science and is currently in the process of writing her second book, Growing Papaya Trees: Nurturing Indigenous Roots of Climate Displacement & Justice. Hernandez has been named by Forbes as one of the 100 most powerful & influential women of Central America.
Follow Dr. Hernandez on Twitter or Instagram: @doctora_nature
