Pennie Opal Plant

Pennie Opal Plant is an Indigenous grandmother of Yaqui, Mexican, undocumented Choctaw and Cherokee and European descent. Born in the shadow of the Chevron Refinery in Richmond, CA, she has been a protector and defender of the sacred system of life for over 35 years. She is co-founder, along with Shannon Biggs, of Movement Rights and is a founding member of the Bay Area Rights of Nature Alliance. She is a signatory on the Indigenous Women of the Americas Defending Mother Earth Treaty, along with Casey Camp-Horinek. Pennie is also the co-founder of Idle No More SF Bay and continues as an advisor.  She started the group, The Society of Fearless Grandmothers, which trains older women to be police liaisons and to nonviolently stand between law enforcement and younger people at direct actions.  She lives near the Richmond Chevron Refinery with her husband, daughter, grandson, six chickens and two cats.