ATTN NEWS ROOM – NEWS ADVISORY                                                 March 19th, 2008

Contact: LW2FLG@gmail.com

Indigenous Rights Walk, ‘The Longest Walk 2’ to Arrive in Northern Arizona
News Conference & Rally Planned to Address Religious Freedom and
Sacred Sites Protection

 Flagstaff, Arizona- On Friday, March 21st, more than 100 participants of the Longest Walk 2 will join with representatives of the Save the Peaks Coalition, Sierra Club, Native Movement, Black Mesa Water Coalition, in efforts to demand religious freedom, environmental protection and social justice in Northern Arizona.

 A news conference will be held in front of City Hall on Friday, March 21, at 3:00 p.m. in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The day will begin with a sunrise prayer gathering on the holy San Francisco Peaks, which are internationally recognized as a threatened sacred site. The Longest Walk 2 will then proceed to Flagstaff on Highway 180 to Flagstaff City Hall.

The Longest Walk 2, comprised of people who come from all over the world, is a five- month trans-continental walk for environmental protection and Native American rights traveling on foot from San Francisco, Ca. to Washington D.C.

The Longest Walk 2 is stopping in Flagstaff for more than one week to offer support, prayers, and collect statements from local Indigenous communities.

The walk will arrive in Washington, D.C. on July 11, 2008, bringing attention to issues of environmental injustice, protection of sacred sites, cultural survival, youth empowerment, and eroding Native American rights along the route.  As a result of the first Longest Walk held in 1978, the American Indian Religious Freedom Act (1978) was passed.

WHAT: Longest Walk 2 News Conference

WHEN: 3:00 p.m.

WHERE:  Flagstaff City Hall, Route 66 side.

WHO:  Longest Walk 2 representatives including Dennis Banks, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, Save the Peaks Coalition, Black Mesa Water Coalition, Native Movement, Sierra Club, and more.

For a complete itinerary, specific directions and additional information please visit: www.longestwalk.org.

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 *Photo Opportunities: More than 100 Participants of the Longest Walk 2, Colorful Banners & Native American Traditional Leaders.