Activist Tokata Iron Eyes To Receive The 2022 International Peace Honor

PeaceTech Lab (PTL), the award-winning non-profit organization founded by the United States Institute of Peace, announced Standing Rock Sioux tribe member and activist, Tokata Iron Eyes, as a distinguished honoree during the 2022 International Peace Honors, to be held on Sunday, February 27, 2022.

Growing up Indigenous in the United States, 18-year-old Tokata (Future) Iron Eyes is keenly aware of the inherent sacredness of the earth, and the immense pain that it has incurred over a long history of capitalist and colonial violence.

"There is no future for the people without Earth. A majority of the world's last remaining biodiversity is protected by Indigenous hands, so it only makes sense to use our voices to help counterbalance the effects of climate change. There is violence in the actions of corporations against our sacred land. To achieve peace in today's climate crisis, we must go back to living in tune with Earth's natural rhythms and the people who best understand how to do this are the indigenous people who have been doing so for centuries. We must do this for Earth's sake and for the people who have the most at stake - the youth of today that will inherit what we leave for the future," states Tokata Iron Eyes.

As a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Tokata first took a public stand against environmental injustices at a mere 9 years old, when she testified against a uranium mine in South Dakota. A few years later, she took a stand against the much-contested Dakota Access Pipeline running alongside sacred land and waterways on her reservation, Standing Rock. Since then, she has stood alongside other prominent young leaders, such as Greta Thunberg, on her invitation, to take a stand in several environmental campaigns. Tokata has also worked hard to amplify her community's voices and to raise awareness about missing and murdered indigenous women across the US.

"Tokata Iron Eyes, our youngest honoree to date, has the wisdom and strength of a distinguished leader. Her activism and urgency around climate change inspire her peers to raise their voices, organize, and take action now. She represents the best of the ?Generation PeaceTech'-- those using new forms of media and technology for the greater good. And it's exciting to imagine all that she can and will accomplish in the years to come," affirms Sheldon Himelfarb, President and CEO of PeaceTech Lab.

The International Peace Honors (IPH) celebrates the most outstanding global leaders and change-agents of our time who make philanthropy and humanitarian service a hallmark of their lives, to advance humanity and our planet.

"I stand in awe of such a dedicated, young leader. Tokata Iron Eyes has taken on such great responsibility upon herself. So many people wish they could be the change they seek but Tokata had the courage to embody it," adds MariaEsmeralda Paguaga, Executive Producer of the International Peace Honors.

As 2022 IPH Honoree, Iron Eyes joins prestigious actor and social activist Forest Whitaker; chairman of MasterCard, Ajay Banga; creator of ?Humans of New York,' Brandon Stanton; and the president & CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, Dr. Lisa Su.

The host and special guests of the 2022 IPH will be announced in the upcoming weeks. The ceremony will be broadcasted digitally through various social media platforms. The specific broadcast channels will be announced closer to the date of the broadcast on February 27.

Follow @internationalpeacehonors for more information.