Last Updated on October 4, 2013
There is nothing wrong per se with campaigns, as they are part of how we manage multiple aspects of a movement over time. If we are intelligent in our analysis, campaigns are holistic and sequential, prioritizing those aspects essential to those that follow. Sometimes an unexpected window of opportunity enables us to advance on one campaign while others are backburnered.
Campaigns, however, are all that professional progressives do, so for them, the movement is not a primary concern. Sometimes their campaigns interfere with the well-being of the movement. They do what they can get funded; we do what needs to be done.
Campaigns are by nature tactical. Without the strategic guidance of a movement’s goals, they are sometimes rudderless beyond the moment’s objective. This is why we often see professional progressives celebrating tactical achievements that actually undermine strategic goals. Goals are not part of their purview.
With the indigenous peoples movement, there are many competing interests with conflicting stories about what objectives have been achieved, what is happening, and what goals we should commit ourselves to accomplishing. Those that limit their interest to campaigns and not movements are more inclined to adopt a romantic understanding of tactics and strategies.
The magic of iphones, colored flags and emotional slogans is less burdensome than long tedious preparations for self-governance and democratic revolution.
Across the world right now, Indigenous peoples are facing a renewed assault on their lands, rights, and ways of life.
From extractive industries pushing deeper into ancestral territories, to governments rolling back hard-won protections,
the threat is global—and it is growing.
What makes this moment especially dangerous is how little attention it receives.
Stories like this are disappearing in real time. Mainstream media
barely covers it and the coverage is fragmented. The public is left without the context
needed to understand what is truly at stake.
That is exactly why IC Magazine exists..
For more than 20 years, IC has reported on Indigenous struggles worldwide — consistently, independently, and without compromise.
We don’t follow news cycles; we trace patterns. We don’t sensationalize; we provide context.
And when the world looks away, we stay focused.
But this work is increasingly difficult to sustain.
We refuse to lock our reporting behind a paywall. We don’t sell access through subscriptions.
And we don’t answer to advertisers. IC Magazine survives solely because readers like you choose to
support independent Indigenous journalism.
Please donate today if you can. Every contribution helps us to continue this crucial work.
Thank you,
John Ahni Schertow
Founder and Editor in Chief
