Artist, actress and activist India Salvor Menuez is one of those rare people who care more about the world than they necessarily do about themselves. Which is refreshing when you think about how ours is supposed to be the most selfie-obsessed generation of all time. While she is first and foremost known as an artist-cum-actress (she recently appeared in Tom Ford’s Nocturnal Animals and indie hit White Girl), it’s her lesser-known role as an activist which feels most significant right now — although, the term activist is not one she feels entirely comfortable with yet.
Nevertheless, her first experience with being “active”, as she describes it, came when she was 15 years old, after joining NY2N0 one summer. The organization sent high school kids down to New Orleans to do post-Katrina reconstructive and community work. It was here that Menuez first witnessed America’s severe problem with systematic racism and white supremacy. Frustrated when the change she was fighting for seemed practically impossible, she took a step back and readjusted her focus, which led her to start the Luck You art collective with a few of her friends. Together they set up free art workshops for their local communities, supporting young artists who were previously ostracized from the art world; whether because of their gender, class, color, or sexual orientation.
“When Luck You disbanded, I think it took me a minute to find my voice within the dialogue of activism,” Menuez muses. “A part of that was learning to identify as a feminist but then seeing the limitations and problems of white feminism and how I fit into that.” Fast-forward to today and she’s concentrating on using her platform as best she can. Most recently she’s been using it to campaign against the proposed construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which would infringe on Native American land, and has the potential to damage the water supply of the Standing Rock Sioux tribe.
How did you first get involved with the #NODAPL movement?
As soon as I was aware of it I was re-posting about it — every day new info from the frontline is coming out that is more and more upsetting. This past Saturday I co-organized a delivery truckload of supplies. But I honestly wish I was in a better position to just go to North Dakota and be there on the ground to hold space with the Standing Rock water protectors. “Clicktivism” doesn’t feel like enough.
Why is it such an important cause to get behind?
Intersectionality is the word on everyone’s lips and what’s happening here speaks to this. A lot of people use the words “shocked” or “surprised” when they describe their reaction to the recent election. This can actually be a harmful sentiment to those who are not shocked and surprised because their experience of colonial white supremacist capitalist America has always been uncomfortable. That is part of the point of white supremacy and classism, those in the seat of privilege are meant to not see or feel the pain and suffering their comfort is built upon. When this country was founded on the decimation of Native people, and has since failed to maintain its treaties or show any respect for Native Americans, the horror that is the attack on Standing Rock now is simply a continuation of this injustice. Supporting Standing Rock and saying no to the North Dakota Access Pipeline is not just standing up for the environment and equal access to clean water but is about defending POC and specifically Native peoples.
What can we do to encourage more support?
Media is a major player in political change. Many blame the media for how this election went, for how they fed their attention in a way that elevated Trump. It has been infuriating to see the lack of mainstream coverage on everything that is happening at Standing Rock camp right now. We need to all actively be calling our representatives and demanding this stop. And often the easiest but most helpful action is the transactional donation of goods or funds. And of course if you are in a position to go and join the frontline, do so, anything you can!
Young people are more politically active than ever. Why do you think this is?
I think it has become clear that the “innocent bystander” is an illusion of a position to take. I think the shift in digital information sharing has been helpful for young people to also clarify for themselves and their communities how these systems of oppression affect everyone involved.
Creating a hashtag, joining a Facebook group, and sharing info on social media is better than nothing, but when does clicktivism stop being effective?
It’s just the first step, and it is important, but I do think we still need to sign the petitions, call our government, and go out and protest. And then we need to take our views into how we live our lives and treat everyone around us more constructively and positively every day. Activism will take a different form for everyone, and I don’t feel totally comfortable claiming the title of activist myself. But anyone can be active, it’s never too late to jump in and do what you can.
Politically speaking, we’re in very uncertain times. What advice with would you give to younger kids who are fearful of their future?
Stay critically open-minded, ask a lot of questions, and practice nonviolent communication. Be unafraid to be yourself. This is not a time to closet our identities, and the more of us who gather vocally and actively, the stronger we become in our fight for justice.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I hope to learn more radical, harmless, and constructive ways to exist. And I hope to continue and nourish relationships of equal exchange.
Read: ‘White Girl’ stars Morgan Saylor and India Menuez on the film’s radical relatability.
Credits
Text Tish Weinstock
Photography Alasdair McLellan