Sharon Day (activist) facts for kids
Sharon Day (born in 1951) is an Ojibwe leader, artist, and writer from Minnesota. She is a member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe people. Sharon Day is well known for her special "water walks." During these walks, she and others carry water over long distances. This is a spiritual practice to raise awareness and pray for the health of rivers and lakes.
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Early Life and Ojibwe Roots
Sharon Day grew up in northern Minnesota. Her parents were Ojibwe from the Bois Forte Band. She was raised learning about her tribal culture. Sharon remembers carrying water every day, which taught her to deeply respect water.
Later, she studied at the University of Minnesota. After graduating, she worked for the state of Minnesota. Even though she wasn't raised with Ojibwe spiritual beliefs, she later became a Midewin. This means she practices the spiritual traditions of the Anishinaabe faith.
Helping the Community
In the mid-1980s, Sharon Day learned about a new health challenge called AIDS. At first, reports of this illness were mainly from the East and West coasts. In 1987, Sharon found out that two people she knew had HIV.
One of them was Carol LaFavor, an Ojibwe woman. Carol was worried she wouldn't get proper medical care. She told Sharon that there were no health services for Native people related to AIDS. She then asked Sharon, "What are you going to do about it?"
Soon after, Sharon learned her brother, Michael, also had HIV. This news was very upsetting for her family. Sharon then started working to help Native Americans understand and deal with the AIDS crisis. This led her to create the Indigenous People's Task Force. This group helps the Native American community in Minnesota by providing education and services. Sharon still works as the leader of this task force today.
Protecting Water and Nature
In 1998, Sharon Day joined efforts to protect Coldwater Spring. This spring is a sacred place for several Native American tribes near the Mississippi River in south Minneapolis, Minnesota. There were plans to reroute a highway that would affect the spring.
Sharon helped protest some of the development plans. She felt it was important to protect the spring's sacred practices. She helped by leading ceremonies and offering traditional prayers there.
The Nibi Walks
By 2003, Sharon Day began planning and leading special journeys called Nibi Walks. The word nibi means water in the Ojibwe language. Nibi walks involve carrying water along a river as a long prayer. The walkers often follow the direction of the river's flow and can travel many miles.
At first, the walks were shorter. But in 2011, Sharon helped organize a "four directions water walk." Water from the Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic-Hudson waterway, and the Gulf of Mexico was carried by walkers. They brought the water to a meeting point and poured it into Lake Superior. Sharon represented the southern direction, carrying water from the Gulf of Mexico.
Sharon sees these walks as part of her spiritual practice. In her culture, women traditionally care for the water. On Nibi walks, only women carry the water. Sharon believes her actions connect her to her ancestors and future generations. She says, "It is our intention to make sure there is water to nourish our great-great-great grandchildren seven generations into the future."
In 2017, Sharon led a 54-day water walk along the Missouri River. It started at the river's beginning in Montana and ended in Missouri. The group took turns carrying a pail of water from the headwaters. Sharon explains that these walks have spiritual meaning and also help people learn about water pollution. She says bringing clean water from the start of the river to its end is like "giving the river a taste of herself."
Standing Up for the Environment
In 2013, Sharon Day spoke out against Native American tribes trying to change treaties to get money from fossil fuel projects. She believed that protecting the land and traditional ways was more important than making money from these projects. She felt that renewable energy projects would be a better fit with Native practices.
In 2015, Sharon helped organize a protest at the Minnesota state capitol. This protest was against oil pipelines that carry fossil fuel from the Canadian tar sands through the northern Midwest. She was worried about the future, saying, "These waterways are our lifeblood. If you want your grandchildren’s grandchildren to have life and clean water, then we must all do what we can.”
Artist and Writer
In 2003, Sharon Day helped edit a book called Sing! Whisper! Shout! Pray! Feminist Visions for a Just World. This book was a collection of essays and poems. It aimed to show how women of color have always been important in the movement for women's rights, even if their contributions weren't always recognized.
In 2018, Sharon Day's play, We Do It For The Water, was performed for the first time. It was put on by the Ikidowin Youth Ensemble, a group of Native young people. The play shared a message of peace and unity between Native and non-Native people who want to protect water.
After events in 2020, Sharon felt inspired to create a large art piece. It was a 12-foot-tall sculpture made of driftwood called Tree of Peace, Tree of Life, Tree of the Future. Sharon asked people to create leaves for the tree with their wishes and prayers for the future. The sculpture was displayed at the Minnesota state capitol in October 2020. Later, it traveled to art galleries and found a permanent home with the Piscataway people of Maryland.
Sharon Day was also featured in a short film called Nibi Walk. This film was shown at the 2020 Environmental Film Festival in Washington D.C.
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