[1] She played an important role in organizations like The American Indian Movement (AIM) and as a founding member of the Women of All Red Nations (WARN).
The Standing Rock Indian Reservation is mainly controlled by the Sioux Nation, who were driven out of their homes due to westward expansion in the 1800's.
With the goal of assimilating, the US government forced children into boarding schools in more urban areas of the country, like Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and Cleveland.
Young lived in Los Angeles for a short time but eventually moved back to the Standing Rock reservation, where she started schooling.
Once arriving at these boarding schools, Native American children were given Anglo-American names, military style clothes, and boys would be forced to shave their heads.
Phyllis Young's educational journey started when was in 3rd grade, when she attended a Catholic boarding school in Fort Yates, North Dakota.
[10] One year after Wounded Knee, in 1974, Young, along with Lorelei DeCora Means, Madonna Thunder Hawk, and Janet McCloud, founded the Women of All Red Nations, a partner organization to the American Indian Movement.
[13] “Over the six-year period that had followed the passage of the Family Planning Services and Population Research Act of 1970, physicians sterilized perhaps 25% of Native American women of childbearing age, and there is evidence suggesting that the numbers were actually even higher”.
[17] Extensive advocacy from WARN and other women’s groups led to the government adopting new regulations surrounding sterilization, including a waiting period of up to 30 days between consent and operation.
[18] Though over a century has passed, corporations are still carrying out mining operations for minerals like gold in the Black Hills, an area sacred to the Lakota people.
[23] This alliance between notable civil rights organizations and poorer whites wasn’t uncommon, similar groups were formed a decade earlier, such as Fred Hampton’s Rainbow Coalition.
[25] Phyllis Young, a prominent Native American activist and a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, has been an important figure in advocating for indigenous rights.
[11] She also played a key role in the opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline, drawing international attention to environmental and tribal sovereignty issues.
In doing so Young provided a voice to indigenous Americans during global discussions, and got the International Indian Treaty Council recognized as an official organization at the UN.
As a council member, she worked on policies and initiatives that benefited her community, such as advocating for tribal sovereignty and supporting social or economic development.
The award itself is a $250,000 no-strings-attached prize which recognizes individuals who engage in responsible, ethical disobedience aimed to challenge norms or laws that sustain social inequality.
Her work highlighted the mix of public health, environmental protection, social inequality, and she became a symbol of holding institutions accountable.
[31] Phyllis Young, as a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe, was a key figure in the fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).
She led protests that brought attention to the environmental threat the pipeline poses to the Missouri River, a vital water source for the tribe, while also addressing the indigenous sovereignty rights.
As a member of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe,[1] she played an important role in raising awareness about concerns of Native American communities, particularly regarding tribal sovereignty and environmental protection.
[26] Additionally, her leadership during the opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline[1] underscored the connection between environmental concerns and indigenous rights, particularly the protection of vital natural resources like water.
Recognized with an honorable mention for the disobedience award,[29] Young’s actions reflect her commitment to challenging systems that she and others see as continuity and environmental harm.
[33] Controversy arose soon after the announcement of the pipeline due to the fact it would run through Lake Oahe putting it in danger of an oil spill.
Young’s main job as liaison was to be a direct connection between the Standing Rock tribal council and the protesters, making sure the camp got everything it needed.
In January 2017, the Standing Rock tribal council unanimously voted to ask protesters to leave the site over concerns of river contamination from trash, also citing the harsh upcoming winter weather conditions set to hit the reservation.
[44] Currently, Young runs her hashtag #GreenTheRez initiative alongside Women of All Red Nations Co-Founder, Madonna Thunder Hawk.
[45] In 1956 the Army Corps of engineers flooded the lands of Standing Rock to create the Oahe Reservoir and a river dam to produce electricity.