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Fellowship Goal: To develop solar curriculum and training that will provide education for three Navajo Chapters on the Navajo Reservation who are located near mining/power plant sites.
Demetrius Johnson is Tódich’íi’nii (Bitter Water Clan) from a small community on the Navajo reservation near Ganado called Tółaní. Demetrius studied Electrical Engineering at The University of New Mexico (UNM) with an emphasis on power generation. At UNM is where Demetrius learned how to gather resources to help Indigneous communities from the mentorship of Pueblo and Dine femmes. Since 2014, Demetrius been a community organizer serving in leadership positions as KIVA Club President from 2015-2017, and now as Chair for The Red Nation in the Albuquerque Freedom Council. Demetrius has always been passionate about helping Indigenous communities power their own communities, especially since the resources for electrical generation come from Indigenous communities and lands.
- Fellowship Objective: Train approximately 50 community members, including youth, to install solar, provide opportunities to learn about OHSA, and educate communities about everyday effects from lack of energy access.
- Fellowship Activities: Research and compile challenges/issues facing NN (unemployment, electricity access, clean water, adequate healthcare in correlation to hydraulic fracturing), conduct bi-weekly meetings at local schools and communities.