January 10th was a national call by DefundDAPL.org to divest from participating banks. Cheryl Angel, our elder, went to Wells Fargo in Bizmark to close her accounts. We weren't sure how it was going to flow or how the institution would react, especially in Bizmark, ND (the law enforcement and many locals there are not supportive of the movement or us water protectors).

We walked in, explained our intention, and requested to speak with the bank manager. Cheryl read a prepared letter out loud, explaining why she was closing her account. The manager wasn't happy, but she was kind, and listened. After Cheryl finished the letter, the manager handed her off to an associate to help her.

The associate, Paul was also very kind and professional. He didn't show any emotions or facial expressions, went through the motions quickly, and we were done. At the end, Paul reached out his hand to shake Cheryl's and said "Wopila for everything that you are doing." We were all surprised that Paul used the Lakota word for Thank You. He continued, "I am 1/6 Mohawk. I have spoken at the Standing Rock Sioux reservation's high school..." He continued to share a bit of his story and how he earned his feather. He then said "I haven't been to camp yet, but I support all that you are doing and thank you."

Here is a video of Cheryl's reflections.