How do you keep hope alive when you are fighting for the right to clean water against seemingly insurmountable odds? In this episode, we talk to Rebecca Jim, Tar Creekeeper, and Executive Director of LEAD Agency in Miami, Oklahoma. Rebecca is a Cherokee whose ancestors called our watershed home and, to this day, consider many places in our watershed sacred sites. We discuss the challenges faced by indigenous communities who now live in ‘Indian Country’, Oklahoma, and specifically discuss the obstacles that must be overcome when working to remediate the toxic contamination of fresh water.

Learn more about Rebecca Jim’s work in the LEAD Agency: https://www.leadagency.org/

This project was made possible with funding from the Georgia Humanities Council and Patagonia.

Coosa River Basin Initiative is a 501c3 non-profit organization in Rome, GA with a mission to protect, preserve, and restore the upper Coosa River basin. To learn more about our work or become a supporter, visit our website at coosa.org or follow us on Facebook @coosariverbasinintiative or Instagram @coosariverbasin

If you have thoughts or questions about the show, send us a message to downstream@coosa.org. We’d love to hear from you.

This podcast is produced by Brand Red Studios. All episodes were recorded at Darkroot Studios in Rome, GA. Music, Engineering, and Editing by Austen Earp

Special Thanks to:

Brian Campbell

Sandy Meeks

Ryan Simmons

For local historical resources in the upper Coosa River basin:

Chieftains Museum in Rome

New Echota State Historic Site in Calhoun

Etowah Indian Mounds State Historic Site in Cartersville