Dozens of high school students at Desert Sands Community School in Ashcroft held a protest against the expansion of Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline on May 23.
Holding up signs and chanting “We can’t drink oil; keep it in the soil” in front of the school, the students made clear their opposition to the project. They were part of the Warrior Up: Walkout movement, which saw hundreds of students in the Lower Mainland and other parts of B.C. also leave their classrooms on May 23 to protest the pipeline.
The Ashcroft walkout was organized by Grade 12 student Kiva Morgan-Hall, who had heard about the Warrior Up: Walkout and wanted to get involved.
“We’re the youth of today, so we must speak up and let our voices be heard,” he said. “We have to let the government know we’re not okay with the pipeline. We need to protect wildlife, protect the salmon.”
He noted that to go through, the pipeline expansion must have 100 per cent First Nations approval. “They don’t have that in this area. It’s not just a few First Nations protesting, and it’s not just First Nations students here today.”
Asked what he would say to First Nations who support the pipeline expansion, Morgan-Hall said “I’d tell them they really need to think about the youth, about the future generations living on this soil. They’re looked on as role models, so I’d ask them to do more research.
“What are we getting from [Kinder Morgan], compared to what Kinder Morgan will get from the expansion?”
Morgan-Hall counters those who say there’s no way of going back from our dependence on oil. “That’s not true. Change is inevitable. There are so many alternatives to oil.” Asked about those who support the pipeline expansion because of the jobs it will bring, he says that not many jobs have gone to people in local communities so far. “And in the long run it’s a question of how much money will we make versus will the earth sustain us.
“The people who aren’t willing to change are the people who are destroying the earth, most of the time. Find a job that doesn’t rape our Mother Earth. That’s not okay.”
Morgan-Hall says he comes by his activism honestly, taking after his mother, Meeka Morgan, who has been a long-time activist. He plans to go to Thompson Rivers University to pursue a degree in philosophy/psychology/sociology, and also plans to be involved in as much activism as possible; something he has already done for some time as part of The Melawmen Collective. The group was formed in 2009 to create connections between Aboriginal people and others through stories, history, and culture by way of various forms of art and music.
“I’ve performed at many protests province-wide, trying to fight for our rights, as First Nations and as people of Canada,” said Morgan-Hall.
“Our ancestors have fought for many years to keep the land clean, and available for future generations. It’s about stewardship, and we’re continuing to do that today. We’re fighting for the land to stay clean, and for future generations.”
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