As a young woman Sockbeson was inspired by stories of the
American Indian Movement and
Wounded Knee Sockbeson organized a grassroots organization, IRATE, Indigenous Resistance Against Tribal Extinction. In 1999, Sockbeson spoke against
dioxin pollutants in her community to international negotiators of a treaty to eliminate or ban the most widespread
persistent organic pollutants (POPs): “Unless you take action to eliminate dioxin and other persistent pollutants, there will be no Penobscots living on the islands by the end of the next century.” She also spoke out against environmental
genocide in the film Drumbeat for Mother Earth (Bullfrog Films). In 2000, Sockbeson, along with other Waponahki people, provided testimony to the
Maine Legislature in support of LD 2418, “An Act Concerning Offensive Names.” She shared firsthand experiences of being a
hate crime victim in grade school to illustrate why the “S” word is harmful to Indigenous peoples. Sockbeson was one of several Waponahki people who lobbied and testified for the implementation of Maine Law LD 291: An Act to Require Teaching of Maine Native American History. The Law passed in 2001 and went into effect in 2004. She served as Penobscot Representative on the Wabanaki Studies Commission from 2001–2003 to ensure fulfillment of the Wabanaki Studies Law legislation, help develop curricular resources, and submit a report outlining recommendations for LD 291 compliance. In 2014, Sockbeson moderated a teach-in on
Treaty rights, Indigenous education, and the
First Nation Education Act at the University of Alberta, hosted by I: SSTRIKE, Indigenous Students Strengthening Treaty Relationship through Indigenous Knowledge and Education. In 2016 Sockbeson joined other tribal members in ceremony to pray for the thousands of
water protectors at Standing Rock who were challenging the DAPL. Sockbeson moderated a
teach-in in 2018 “Educating for the Justice of Indigenous People; A Teach-In,” aimed at the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and its "Calls to Action & Reconciliation" and calling attention to the not-guilty verdicts in the deaths of
Colten Boushie and
Tina Fontaine. In 2018, Sockbeson was interviewed by the
Edmonton Journal regarding Indigenous students academic performance, she stated that racism is the main reason Indigenous students leave school early and said the term “achievement gap” puts students, not the system, under the microscope when, “It’s really a teacher development gap”. In response to Alberta's controversial hiring of C.P. Champion as curriculum adviser in 2020 the
CBC interviewed Sockbeson, who said, “It's not just a matter of political will — governments and schools have a legal obligation to ensure Canadian children are adequately educated in the history of First Nations people. Hiring someone who doubts the experiences of residential school survivors is reckless. The earlier that we can introduce to children the truth about Canada's history, the sooner we can account for what has happened and ensure it doesn't ever happen again". == Publications ==