Nathalie Kelley Instagram – Indigenous women’s bodies have been subjugated to violence and exploitation since “Brazil” was first invaded over 500 years ago. Similarly the lands and waters they they have protected with their lives have been subjected to unspeakable destruction. The catastrophic droughts and fires ravaging biomes like the Amazon right now are a direct consequence of this unchecked violence. At the 3rd Indigenous Women March in Brasilia I saw a young girl break down in anguish as she recounted how land grabbers were threatening to dig up the grave of her father, the Cacique, in order to terrorize them into giving up their land. These same land grabbers then burned 2000 hectares of primary rainforest in order to clear it and the subsequent smoke forced her community from their ancestral home. The animals that once lived in that forest, the once clean waters, the charred trees – are as much victims of this violence as these women are. We cannot address these issues separately, and we cannot afford to pretend that this violence doesn’t not extend to us. It has just been confirmed that the Amazon is at its tipping point, no longer a carbon sink helping us in the fight against climate change, but now due to our ambivalence and lack of action – one of Earths most critical ecosystem is on the brink of collapse. Once it goes we will all suffer for it… my plea is for us to wake up! Our leaders (on either side of the political spectrum) are not doing enough. This is an EMERGENCY. 🚨