When I moved to New York in 2002, I gave zero thought as to what bank I joined.  I selected Chase because it was the closest walk from my downtown Brooklyn loft.  And although I've moved away from the city some five years ago, I still hold my accounts there. 

It used to be that banking with Chase was a hassle whenever I left the Eastern seaboard; so few branches exist when journeying out West and to towns bordering reservations like Standing Rock.  But it was when I started reporting from the anti-pipeline demonstrations, there, that I became aware of just how problematic my bank was - and for entirely all the reasons for why Water Protectors were being shot at with rubber bullets and being arrested en masse. 

I made excuses back then that I was too consumed with my embedded field reporting at the time to do anything about it - which is largely true.  But I'm ashamed that once the camps were razed and my life resumed to some kind of normalcy, I went back to Brooklyn and brushed up on my banking with Chase without much thought or care. 

To be sure, JPMorgan Chase is the worst bank in the world for financing fossil fuels according to the Banking on Climate Chaos report, a work of climate math from a global alliance of nonprofit organizations.  From their findings, my bank contributed $51.3 billion in fossil fuel financing last year alone, and a total of $317 billion from 2016 to 2020

I've been part of the problem in that same timeframe, but I've decided to do something about it, largely prompted by someone I adored watching run for California State Senate last year: Jackie Fielder.

 I think what got me was her campaign video. It's filled with so much compassion, it might bring tears to your eyes.  

Jackie (who turns 27 this weekend) lost her race, but her core causes continue to be at heart of her advocacy work including decolonizing San Francisco's housing market, and yes - divesting from big banks backing Big Oil. 

That's what led her to reach out to Indigenously.  Among the many things keeping her busy, these days, Fielder helps manage public relations for Stop the Money Pipeline, an effort by some 160 organizations to hold banks and insurance companies accountable for the fossil fuel projects that they support.

When we spoke, Climate Week NYC was just kicking off and among its primary sponsors was Bank of America.  This frustrated Fielder. “They are one of the largest backers of fossil fuels,” she said.

Hypocrisy is all abound, notwithstanding “climate president” Joe Biden’s inaction involving the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline which started flowing oil Friday.  

A fed-up Fielder is now working to convince consumers like me (and maybe you) to take the first steps in joining a divestment movement with roots pre-dating Standing Rock.

Please read my interview with Jackie where we critique the media's handling of divestment, discuss crash theory of fossil fuel financing, and confront the conflicts of her climate activism against the oil-producing wealth of her Indigenous homelands on the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation. 

Between this newsletter, including the Index, and the interview with Jackie, there are loads of links to explore. But I'm also leaving you with two essentials, here: 

• 10 Steps to Break-Up With Your Mega-Bank
• And this longread from Bill McKibben from 2019; it's still timely

“Heard about Indigenously on NPR. Thank you!!”

Katja, Long Beach, CA

If you haven't noticed, Indigenously has a sub-par social media game and our self-promotion sucks. It's intentional, though, as we slow-grow this community with care and intention. That's why it's awesome learning that Katja heard about us on the radio. Thanks for sharing.

How did you find out about Indigenously? A friend, a blurb, a random tweet?  Email me if you want. I'd love to know.