This event is co-sponsored by Muwekma-Tah-Ruk, Explore Energy House, and Otero Public Service House

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Abby Reyes is a recognized leader in currents fueling the rise of climate justice, and as a former Public Service Scholars Program Coordinator at Stanford, Abby life and career path exemplify the tenets of public service.  Her first book, Truth Demands: A Memoir of Murder, Oil Wars, and the Rise of Climate Justice releases on May 6, 2025. Truth Demands tells the story of Abby's journey after the 1999 murders of her then-partner Terence Freitas and his colleagues Ingrid Washinawatok El-Issa and Lahe’ena’e Gay, during their work with the U’wa people in Colombia. The book weaves that loss into the larger movement for climate justice and Indigenous rights, and into her own path of healing.  

Dr. Kumi Naidoo, the 2023-2024 Payne Distinguished Lecturer at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, is returning to Stanford to co-present this event in conversation with Abby Reyes and the residents of the host theme houses.  Ten collaborating co-host organizations featured Kumi Nadioo in May 2024 at an event entitled People, Power, and Planet, where he held forth on topics focused on human rights, environmental justice, and the cultural power of art in service of both. 

Of note​, a historic verdict has recently provided a powerful epilogue ​to Reyes' narrative in Truth Demands:

In December 2024, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights upheld the territorial, cultural, and environmental rights of the U'wa Nation, setting a precedent that for the protection of Indigenous Peoples in Colombia and across Latin America.  

In the context of the global climate crisis, this ruling highlights the importance of ancestral knowledge in protecting fragile ecosystems and emphasizes the right of Indigenous Peoples to self-determination in the face of projects that threaten their existence. 

Furthermore, it acknowledges their essential role in environmental protection, underscoring the urgency of rethinking development based on respect for human rights, environmental justice, and sustainability. 
 

Abby will be signing books for participants.

Abby Reyes' visit to Stanford will be co-hosted by the Native American theme house and the academic theme house for energy, open to all who RSVP here.