JoAnn Tall facts for kids

JoAnn Tall is an important environmental activist. She is a member of the Oglala Lakota tribe. JoAnn works to make sure that local people can decide on big energy projects. In 1993, she won the Goldman Environmental Prize. This award was for her efforts against uranium mining and nuclear weapon tests. These activities were planned near her home, the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, in the Black Hills area.

Protecting the Black Hills

In the 1970s, JoAnn Tall joined the Black Hills Alliance. This group included local people and environmental experts. They studied uranium companies that wanted to mine in the Black Hills. The group worked hard to make sure that voters, not just the state, had to approve new energy projects. This gave local people a voice in what happened to their land.

Community Radio and Education

JoAnn Tall helped start KILI, a local radio station for the Pine Ridge Reservation. In 1992, some people protested the station. They felt their voices and traditions were not being respected. JoAnn believed in free speech for everyone.

In 1989, JoAnn also helped create the Native Resource Coalition. This group teaches the Lakota people about important health and environmental topics.

Family Life

JoAnn Tall and her husband, Mark Tilsen, have eight children.

See also

• Janet McCloud
• Uranium in the environment
• Anti-nuclear movement in the United States
• The Navajo People and Uranium Mining
• Manuel Pino
• Uranium mining debate
• Thomas Banyacya