About a dozen peaceful protestors gathered in Carrboro Friday to protest the 'black snake' — also known as the Dakota Access Pipeline.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a 1,172-mile pipeline that will transport crude oil from North Dakota to Patoka, Illinois.
The protestors in Carrboro were standing in solidarity with a larger protestor group at Standing Rock — a Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.
A portion of the pipeline will run through the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and under the Missouri River — the tribe's only water source.
The protestors are concerned that the water could be contaminated if an oil spill occurred.
"We are praying to protect the water from not only the Dakotas, but all down the Missouri (River) and into the Mississippi (River), which impacts thousands and thousands of people," Cory Duncan, a protestor and a member of the Cherokee tribe, said.
The protest discussed the importance of water safety and the need to protect the rights of Native Americans.
"America has not been a kind nation to the indigenous people," said Ruth Zalph, a member of the Triangle chapter of the Raging Grannies, a group of female activists who advocate for issues such as environmental protection, racial equality and women's rights.
"Their land has been taken from them many times," she said. "I will fight for their rights as long as I’m here."
