Joe Bates is a member of the Bad River Band, a Native American Tribe residing along Lake Superior in Wisconsin. He and his community have been embroiled in a long-standing legal and public relations battle against Enbridge, a Canadian energy company, to protect their ancestral lands. This struggle has been documented in "Bad River," a documentary film released in early 2024, which showcases Bates and his fellow activists within the band.

Joe joins Jay to share his personal journey of activism, the profound influence of past generations of tribal and environmental activists on his own path, and the ongoing fight against Enbridge, which affects the future of water protection in America.

To learn more about the Bad River Band, click here.

Episode Chapters

(00:00) - Intro

(01:19) - Joe’s activist history

(04:31) - The connection between the Bad River Band and their land

(10:06) - How did Enbridge come to have pipes under native land against the Bad River Band’s wishes?

(14:00) - The threat’s Enbridge’s Line 5 poses to the environment

(18:10) - “You can’t put a price tag on what we have. What we have is priceless.”

(19:23) - Joe and Jay discuss the documentary “Bad River”

(22:58) - Thank you and goodbye

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To learn more about the podcast, visit https://allaboutchangepodcast.com/

Looking for more insights into the world of activism? Be sure to check out Jay’s brand new book, Find Your Fight, in which Jay teaches the next generation of activists and advocates how to step up and bring about lasting change. You can find Find Your Fight wherever you buy your books, and you can learn more about it at www.jayruderman.com.