Welcome to Truth and Reckoning, a podcast from CELDF — the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund.

On this episode, we share the recording from our recent event

This special event, “Solidarity Against Tyranny: Frontline Resistance Insights from the Philippines and the Appalachian South,” took place on July 21st. It featured activists from the Philippines and the Appalachian South speaking about how to survive, persist, and resist in the face of rising government repression and vigilante violence.

How can our movements survive the rise of authoritarian regimes? How shall we respond when our people are jailed, our organizations banned, our speech penalized, and our activist spaces burned to the ground?

These are not idle questions for organizers from the Philippines and the Appalachian South. The former is one of the world’s most dangerous places for environmentalists and human rights defenders, while the latter is one of the most challenging places for anti-racist activists to organize.

This event was organized by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund in partnership with the Highlander Research and Education Center and Blue Earth Defense, and in cooperation with Alyansa Tigil Mina, Ethniko Bandido Infoshop, and the Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services (IDEALS).

To learn more about these organizations:

* Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund

* Highlander Research and Education Center

* Blue Earth Defense

* Alyansa Tigil Mina

* Ethniko Bandido Infoshop

* Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services

In an increasingly repressive environment, front-line activists need support and solidarity to be able to continue this difficult and sometimes dangerous work. We are asking for your financial support.

Please donate what you can. All donations made here will be evenly split between five of the organizations participating in this event (IDEALS graciously declined to be part of this donation split).

About the Truth and Reckoning Podcast

In this show, we learn from front-line organizers and communities fighting against environmental destruction. We explore different perspectives and innovative strategies for movement building, the potency and potential of rights of nature, and effective action in defense of our communities. And, we share inspiring stories of people working towards right relationship with the land and each other. The show is hosted by CELDF Community Resistance and Resilience Program Co-Director Max Wilbert.

This show can be found on the following platforms:

* Apple Podcasts

* Spotify

* Pocketcasts

* YouTube (video and audio)

* And anywhere else you get your podcasts (click here to find this podcast via your preferred app)

Here’s the video version of this podcast:

About CELDF — Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund

CELDF is a nationwide community of organizers, lawyers, and partners who educate, agitate, and organize to confront systemic injustice and restore humanity’s reciprocal relationship with the Earth. For over 30 years, we’ve helped communities resist corporate exploitation, reject regulatory false promises, and assert their right to self-govern through systems grounded in ecological balance and collective power.

Get full access to Truth and Reckoning at celdf.substack.com/subscribe