Our Roots

We are an Indigenous-led grassroots organization, deeply rooted in concern for environmental justice and the well-being of the earth. CRAFT originally formed after the Christmas Day 1993 incident at Fermi 2 that resulted in radioactive release due to damage to one of the main turbines. This subsequently dumped 1.5 million gallons of untreated toxic, radioactive water into Lake Erie. As a tiny powerhouse of concerned citizens, we were active until 2001 when key members left the area. The Fukushima accident in 2011 brought the danger of the Mark 1 nuclear reactors back to the forefront and, after much soul-searching on the part of our elders, the decision to revive CRAFT was made. In 2012, several original members of CRAFT held a meeting to revive Citizens’ Resistance at Fermi 2 to raise awareness of DTE’s need to phase out their nuclear reactor and replace it with sustainable energy.

Jesse Deer In Water 

Citizen of The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and visitor on Traditional Homelands of The Anishinabek 3 Fires Confederacy of Ojibwe, Bodewadomi and Odawa peoples here in the area known as Wawiyamtanong, residing in what is known as North Redford.

I am our community organizer, a father of three, and friend/family to many, including plants/beings/elements within this existence. I have my hands in quite a few other things that have to do with the environment, justice and the Native Community. I am a responsible member of the Urban NDN community of The D and do my best to represent the old ways as best and honestly as possible. 

I was born in a small Cherokee/Keetoowah community in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and have also spent years living in Oregon, Kentucky, and here in Michigan. 

This and my travels through life have had a heavy influence moving forward. Wado

Jessie Pauline Collins

Now a 79-year-old senior, I became a nuclear abolitionist 40 years ago in the movement to stop a nuclear reactor (Black Fox) from being built in Oklahoma. After that successful campaign, we found out that Kerr-McGee had applied to dispose of the nuclear waste from their Sequoyah Fuels Corporation (SFC) uranium conversion facility in our neighborhood. With help from Wilma Mankiller, then Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma Vice-Chief, we organized as Native Americans for a Clean Environment (NACE).

After a decade’s campaign, SFC was closed in 1993 and I moved to Michigan – planning to be done with nuclear abolition work. On Christmas Day 1993, Fermi 2 had a turbine go haywire, and locals contacted me for guidance. I knew nothing about operations of a nuclear reactor, but I did know a little about organizing and so Citizens’ Resistance at Fermi Two (CRAFT) was born.

I left Michigan in 1998 and returned in 2011. Jim Sherman convinced me we should revive CRAFT since Fermi was still polluting Lake Erie and endangering the Bio-Region. That was a decade ago, and here we are now.

Where We Stand 

CRAFT stands on Indigenous principles that not only shape what we do, but how we do it. We are an intergenerational, multi-racial, cross-cultural team of concerned people committed to halting nuclear destruction and promoting renewable energy while embodying sound principles in the process. Ultimately, it is a new world that we seek. We believe that it is community, strong coalition, and collaboration that will bring about a safe and viable future for our planet.

Our Mission

CRAFT is focused on the safety of the earth and the future of energy - a future full of renewable and alternative power, free of radioactive waste. Our coalition-building and education efforts are globally relevant; our local efforts are focused on the Fermi 2 power station and its impacts on the waters of Lake Erie and all of the Great Lakes.

When it comes to Fermi 2, CRAFT conducts five main aims:

• Raising awareness of the dangers Fermi 2 poses through public events, direct action, communication pieces, and media platforms 

• Promoting and educating about the advantages of green renewable energy on which to power and employ Michigan forward

• Building a knowledge base of energy, regulatory, legislative, and civilian nuclear data, trends, and current events 

• Monitoring and reporting on Fermi 2 

• Engaging in regulatory intervention, including legal filings

Our Vision for the Future

We are crafting a future full of renewable and alternative energy, free of radioactive waste. We see a world in which relations are restored between human communities and the earth, and where the Great Lakes are honored and protected. We envision that the air we breathe is clean and clear and there is equal access to viable water for all our relations. We grow our own vital and nutritious foods locally, and allow the earth to recover from the harmful impacts of big ag farming and the nuclear fuel chain. There is justice, healing, and care for all of the communities and ecosystems that have been burdened by the fossil fuel and nuclear industries, and we know that future generations are safe from these harms. The move to green renewable energy sources allows us to power our homes and communities while caring for the earth and the people, generating bountiful jobs through equitable employment structures with safe and respectful working conditions. We embody a system of reciprocity in which integrity surpasses obsession with profit. 

We will continue to push forward into this safer world free from nuclear energy and powered by renewables -- an accessible, fair, and just energy future for all!