On this week’s episode of Out and About, Dr. Mae Gilliland of ArtsPartners of Central Illinois talks with Angela Weck, Executive Director of the Peoria Area World Affairs Council, about an upcoming program exploring Indigenous rights, environmental justice, and global climate challenges.
Taking place April 16 at Bradley University Westlake Hall, Defending Life and Land: Indigenous Rights, the Amazon, and Environmental Justice features speaker Carlos Salinas, who brings firsthand experience working alongside Indigenous communities in the Amazon.
Weck emphasizes the importance of global education in a community like Peoria, noting that the Council’s programs are designed to provide context, ignite conversation, and help participants better understand how international issues connect to everyday life.
“For Indigenous people, this is an issue that’s an everyday, all day,” she said, pointing to the immediate impacts climate change has on land, culture, and survival.
The conversation also draws connections to the central Illinois region, particularly through agriculture, where environmental shifts, rising costs, and land use decisions directly affect local communities. The April 16 event includes a buffet dinner, followed by Salinas’s presentation and an opportunity for discussion.
Defending Life and Land takes place at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, April 16, at Bradley University’s Westlake Hall.
