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The Nerve! Conversations with Movement Elders


Jul 3, 2024

In this episode we're exploring creative resistance and climate change, through an intergenerational conversation between elder and younger organizers based in rural New Mexico, Puerto Rico, and southwest Virginia who have been resisting the state and advocating for climate justice in a myriad of ways. We know that colonization is the single greatest contributor to climate change and injustice over the past 500 years, which is inherently interwoven with militarism, imperialism, and extractive economies the world over. We’re bringing together elder and younger organizers to talk about “living through the apocalypse” many times over, fighting for our lives and communities through the land and water, and what solutions we see as necessary to thrive into the just futures we know to be possible. 

This episode is hosted by alyzza may (they/them) based in Greensboro, North Carolina. alyzza is an angelic troublemaker, cultural organizer, and member of the National Council of Elders podcast team. 

Joining alyzza in this conversation are:

  • Elder Kathy 'Wan Povi' Sanchez, (she/her) based in San Ildefonso Pueblo, New Mexico who is a member of NCOE, and a founding elder with Tewa Women United.
  • Elder Myrna Pagan, (she/her) based in Vieques, Puerto Rico who is a member of NCOE, the founder of Vidas Viequenses Valen an environmental movement working for peace and justice, and a founding member of Radio Vieques, Educational Community Radio. 
  • Leif Hurt, (they/them) based in southwest Virginia, who is an organizer with Protect Our Water, Heritage, Rights (POWHR): an interstate coalition representing individuals and groups from Virginia and West Virginia dedicated to protecting water, land, and communities from harms caused by the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure, including the Mountain Valley Pipeline (MVP).