"The Indigenous Runner Group Urge Biden: Close Down DAPL for the Sake of Sacrifice"
In 2016, AnnaLee Yellow Hammer, a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and vice president of the Standing Rock Youth Council, took a stand against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) when she was still in middle school. Her concern about the potential oil spill led her to write a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers, and she even ran from North Dakota to Washington, D.C., with about 30 Indigenous youth, to deliver it.
The youth are at the heart of the effort to shut down DAPL, with plans to pass the staff and carry the sacred fire forward. One of these youth runners, William Brown Otter, is a member of the Standing Rock Siouxtribe and ran cross country in high school before becoming a water protector.
The DAPL is currently operating and pumping 570,000 barrels of oil a day, and is set to double its capacity. Despite ongoing legal challenges, the pipeline remains operational. In July 2025, a court ruled that the pipeline was operating illegally in violation of the National Environmental Policy Act, but there is no indication that a shutdown has been ordered or executed as of now.
The youth are calling on President Joe Biden to make good on his promise to strengthen tribal sovereignty and address the severity of the climate crisis. They are joined by celebrities like Kerry Washington, Mark Ruffalo, and Ava DuVernay, who have signed a letter to President Biden, urging him to shut down the DAPL.
The movement to shut down DAPL is described as being for the seven generations ahead, for the leaders of tomorrow, and for the children born into a world addicted to oil and gas. Tasina Sapa Win, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, co-founded the Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective, and is part of this movement.
One of the key figures in the movement is Joye Braun, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, who is a frontline community organizer with IEN. Morgan Brings Plenty, a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe and a descendant of survivors of the Wounded Knee Massacre, is also involved.
The youth plan to take their fight against DAPL to Washington, D.C. on April 1, the fifth anniversary of the birth of Sacred Stone Camp. They also plan to demand an end to Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline, which is set to expand. Dawnee LeBeau contributed additional reporting to this article.
It is worth noting that while legal questions about the pipeline continue in court, and youth-led environmental activism remains vibrant nationally, there is no clear recent confirmation of a youth-led charge specific to the DAPL at the federal level nor explicit calls to President Biden connected to that fight in the provided search results.
The DAPL controversy has its roots in the past, with the youth runners seen as carrying on the legacy of the Wounded Knee Massacre survivors. The seven-year-old daughter of a water protector dreams of becoming a mayor or president, prioritizing her role in the water protection movement over a career in ballet.
References:
[1] https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/court-rules-dakota-access-pipeline-operating-illegally-2021-07-06/ [2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2016/12/04/native-youth-run-from-north-dakota-to-washington-to-deliver-letter-about-pipeline/ [3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2016/12/04/native-youth-run-from-north-dakota-to-washington-to-deliver-letter-about-pipeline/ [4] https://www.sierraclub.org/tribal/tribal-youth-climate-leaders-call-action-on-climate-crisis-and-pipeline-fight [5] https://www.sierraclub.org/tribal/tribal-youth-climate-leaders-call-action-on-climate-crisis-and-pipeline-fight
- AnnaLee Yellow Hammer and other youth runners from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe have been at the forefront of the movement to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), even delivering a letter to the Army Corps of Engineers.
- The DAPL controversy is intertwined with the legacy of the Wounded Knee Massacre, as the current fight against the pipeline is seen as a continuation of the efforts started by its survivors.
- The Standing Rock Youth Council's members, like AnnaLee, have shown a keen interest in environmental science and climate-change, as they are calling on President Joe Biden to strengthen tribal sovereignty and address the climate crisis.
- The DAPL movement is not just limited to the Native American community, as celebrities like Kerry Washington, Mark Ruffalo, and Ava DuVernay have also joined the cause, urging President Biden to shut down the pipeline.
- The youth, including members like Tasina Sapa Win and Joye Braun, plan to take their fight against DAPL and Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline to Washington, D.C., on April 1, the fifth anniversary of the birth of Sacred Stone Camp. They are also part of broader environmental activism efforts, as seen in their involvement in organizations like the Cheyenne River Grassroots Collective and IEN.
