Mactivist Spotlight: Betsy Foy

By: Christine McCormick

Betsy Foy (she/her/hers) is a rising senior here at Macalester. Her presence on campus falls into a variety of categories. She’s a computer science major, a thespian, and a swimmer! Yet despite her busy schedule, this last year Betsy added activism to her list of interests. Betsy’s work is largely focused on pipeline resistance, specifically Line 3 (which is a tar sands pipeline that is currently under construction in Northern Minnesota). The pipeline crosses through treaty territory and is an extreme danger to indigenous lives and the environment. The movement to resist Line 3 is led by indigenous leaders and is primarily fought by indigenous folks. Betsy wanted to emphasize that she is just a little guy in the movement.

Betsy describes her activism journey as going from zero to one hundred. After attending a few protests with her friends in the cities, she was invited to the frontlines up north in November of 2020. After only a couple days, she volunteered to be locked down to equipment and to get arrested. “It’s kind of hard to step back after taking that action because then you feel like you’ve committed a large part of yourself and taken that risk.” She attributes her commitment to friends and the community she’s met along the way.    

Mutual aid, protests, and legal and direct action are four methods of resistance that are commonly used in the movement to resist Line 3. Betsy is a water protector - a term that refers to activists and organizers leading the fight against Line 3. Water protectors most commonly use direct action to stop construction in whatever peaceful way is possible. These actions can include locking onto construction equipment or concrete barrels, going up in elevated structures on the site, or occupying space necessary to continue construction. Removing people takes time, meaning these actions result in the immediate slowing of construction. In our interview, Betsy also mentioned the importance of the actions getting media attention. Resist Line 3 has around 10,000 followers but other, more well-known pipelines have up to 20,000 followers. “Hopefully direct action can be big or flashy or meaningful so it can go to places like social media and catch people’s attention so they will be motivated to do something as well.”

When asked about problems she’s currently facing in her activism work Betsy talked about the complexities of putting yourself at risk when you have others who rely on you. 

“Right now I’m really struggling with how much I think I can sacrifice and give versus what I need to do to take care of myself. I have been arrested twice so far, which is less than other people who are definitely giving more than me, and are probably way braver than I am but… I have to decide whether I am comfortable taking more risks and maybe suffering higher consequences or deciding if I need to preserve myself for the long haul and (to) keep in mind that there might be issues in the future that I will also be getting arrested or taking high risk for.” 

After spending time on the front lines Betsy found it difficult to feel like she was doing something if it wasn’t taking direct action. With two arrests and two broken elbows (not protest-related), she has found a place in the movement doing media support and mutual aid. The adage “after the revolution is done: who will do the dishes?” is an excellent metaphor for the importance of remaining active in the movement. “Trying to find little things to support people like joining a media group or really just showing up and piling wood or helping with dishes so that other people don’t have to do them” is one of the ways Betsy helps do both the literal and metaphorical dishes. 

If you’re interested in joining the fight to stop Line 3 Betsy has a few recommendations. Start by visiting Stop Line 3’s website and look under the actions tab. Some actions that can be taken right now include signing petitions, ordering a yard sign, and donating funds to organizations dedicated to stopping Line 3, like Honor the Earth. In addition to this, take personal action to make sure that your money isn't invested in Line 3. Check out this list of sixty banks that are invested in Enbridge; if you’re a patron of one of those banks consider joining a credit union instead. If going up North interests you, attend a Northfield Against Line 3 virtual training. Follow social media accounts such as Sunrise Twin Cities, Resist Line 3, Honor the Earth, and Minnesota Action Squirrel to find out about actions in the Twin Cities and up North. Taking action, even seemingly small ones can truly make a difference when it comes to battling the construction of Line 3.

Sources: 

Information and Background on Line 3 https://www.stopline3.org/chronicles 

Interview with Betsy Foy, May 31st, 2021