Michael Curry’s Memorable Standing Rock Speech

Before delivering the sermon that is being praised for its powerful message and upturning the royal wedding, Episcopalian presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry delivered a speech to protesters at Standing Rock, North Dakota.

The speech, which is currently on YouTube, served as a preview of the passion and found in Rev. Curry’s royal wedding sermon.

In 2016, a group of protesters stood to ‘defend’ clean water against a planned oil pipeline. Plans for the pipeline crossed the Native American reservation at Standing Rock, North Dakota. The potential for an oil spill affecting the water supply concerned first nations people in the area.

In an impassioned speech, Rev. Curry expressed solidarity with the water protectors.

As EcoWatch’s Lorraine Chow observed, Rev. Curry invokes Martin Luther King in the speech (much as he did during the royal wedding).

“The truth of the matter is, we are all interconnected, we are all tied together in a single garment of destiny,” Rev. Curry said.

“Water is a gift of the Creator. We must protect it. We must conserve it. We must care for it,” he said.

“If we are God’s children and this Earth is God’s creation, then let us not tear one another asunder and let us not tear this Earth asunder.”

Bishop Curry gave a sermon at the #RoyalWedding. Here he is at Standing Rock in September 2016 standing in solidarity with us against the Dakota Access Pipeline. #NoDAPL pic.twitter.com/TOaMtxQby9

— Ruth H. Hopkins (@RuthHHopkins) May 21, 2018

While the Dakota access pipeline project was initially stalled, President Trump eventually ordered the military to remove the protesters, in order for the project to begin again. The pipe has since leaked a number of times since the oil started flowing.

Rev. Curry became Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopalian Church in 2015.

Image by Beth Crow

Jonathan Foye is Insights’ Editor