Ward Churchill to Speak at Benefit for Traditional O’odham Resistance

Activist and scholar Ward Churchill will speak at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson, 4831 W. 22nd Ave., on November 13, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. to benefit O’odham VOICE Against the Wall, which since 2003 has organized and advocated for the traditional O’odham leaders and elders of the O’odham communities in the southern territory of the United States and northern territory of Mexico.

Professor Churchill’s talk is part of the “Apartheid in America: Surviving Occupation in O’odham Lands” gathering, which features a concert by Resistant Culture, a punk rock/metal band from Southern California and Luke Romano, a radical folk musician based in Tucson. The event is dedicated to raising awareness of the connections between repressive border policies at home and abroad.

Ward Churchill is a prolific American Indian writer, a member of the Rainbow Coalition Council of Elders, and on the leadership council of the American Indian Movement of Colorado. In addition to his numerous works on indigenous history, he has written extensively on U.S. foreign policy and the repression of political dissent. Five of his more than 20 books have received human rights writing awards.

Former Chair of the Ethnic Studies Department, until July 2007 Ward Churchill was a tenured full Professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Colorado/Boulder, where he received numerous awards for his teaching and service. In April 2009 a jury unanimously found that he had been fired by CU in retaliation for his observations on 9/11 and in violation of the First Amendment. Professor Churchill is currently litigating to have that verdict upheld.

Resistant Culture’s music is best described as tribal grind core -- weaving the indigenous flute, rattle, tribal drum, and chant into a backdrop of extreme punk and metal. Luke Romano's music has been described as acoustic, upbeat folky punk. The show will take place at Dry River, 740 N. Main (University and Main), November 13, at 10:00 p.m.

Both Professor Churchill’s talk and Resistant Culture’s concert will be broadcast live on Censored News Radio, and covered by its publisher, Brenda Norrell, who for almost 30 years has focused on Indian Country and the West.

Other sponsors of the event include the Dry River Radical Resource Center, the Earth First! Journal and Voices Against the Wall.

The event is open to the public. Donations of $10 to $20 are requested, but no one will be turned away. A delicious vegetarian meal will be served at 6:30 p.m.

Media Inquiries:
Ofelia Rivas, 520-349-5484, aliJegos@gmail.com
Dan Todd, 520-982-1835, langgore@hotmail.com
Additional Information: Solidarity Project; www.dryriver.org

Music:
Resistant Culture
Luke Romano