Environmental and Indigenous Rights Advocate to Receive Dickinson College’s Rose-Walters Prize for Environmental Activism

CARLISLE, Pa., April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Tara Houska, a citizen of Couchiching First Nation and advocate for environmental and Indigenous rights, will receive The Sam Rose ’58 and Julie Walters Prize for Global Environmental Activism at Dickinson College. This annual $100,000 prize is awarded to individuals or organizations significantly impacting responsible action for the planet, its resources, and its people. Houska is a prominent opponent of the Line 3 and Dakota Access pipelines and plays an active role in the movement to defund fossil fuels. She will be accepting this prestigious recognition at Dickinson’s Commencement on Sunday, May 21.

The Rose-Walters Prize acknowledges Houska’s accomplishments as a tribal attorney, land defender, and founder of the Giniw Collective – an Indigenous women and two-spirit-led resistance dedicated to defending the Sacred, advocating for systemic change that respects Indigenous sovereignty, prioritizing land defense, traditional knowledge, and divestment to protect the Earth.

Houska grew up in rural Ranier, Minnesota, across the border from the Couchiching First Nation in Ontario. She earned a B.A., B.S., and a J.D. from the University of Minnesota. Following her tenure as a tribal attorney in Washington, D.C., clerking with the Obama administration, Houska advised Sen. Bernie Sanders on Native affairs during his 2016 presidential campaign, authored his Native policy platform, and later committed to full-time advocacy with a non-profit during the Dakota Access pipeline protests. Upon returning home to protect her people’s territory from the Line 3 pipeline, she established the Giniw Collective.

Houska also co-founded Not Your Mascots, a non-profit promoting positive representation for Native Americans, and has contributed to publications including All We Can Save, The New York Times, CNN, Vogue, and Indian Country Today. She is a TED speaker and recipient of the 2021 American Climate Leadership Award and the 2019 Rachel’s Network Catalyst Award.

Houska’s daughter’s birth intensified her determination to protect the planet. She holds hope in the growing movement she spearheads, which has mobilized thousands and inspired Indigenous and non-Indigenous people worldwide to follow Native leadership. Houska believes in fostering a holistic and pragmatic movement, centering values that emphasize natural law, humility, empathy, and the translation of words into action.

During the 2023-24 academic year, Houska will visit Dickinson for a multi-day residency. The Rose-Walters Prize has previously honored climate advocates including Elizabeth Kolbert, Mark Ruffalo, Bill McKibben, and Lisa Jackson.

SOURCE DICKINSON COLLEGE