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Civil Rights Protests Begin
Activists began organizing demonstrations to secure the civil
rights of Native Americans, who had been marginalized, disadvantaged, and disproportionately impoverished since the
U.S. government completed its policy of "removal" over a century earlier. The protest took place in Minneapolis Minnesota with Dennis Banks leading them. -
Alcatraz Protest
On Nov. 20. 1969 a fleet of wooden sailboats holding 90 Native Americans landed on Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. For the next 19 months, the group occupied the island, hoping
to reclaim the rock *in the name of all American Indians." In their proclamation, activists stated that Alcatraz was more than suitable for an Indian reservation, as determined by the white man's own standards" -
Activist Occupy Mount Rushmore
Natives occupied Mount Rushmore to reclaim the land that had
been promised to the tribe in the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie in
perpetuity. When gold was found in the mountains, prospectors
migrated there in the 1870s and the federal government forced
the Sioux to relinquish the Black Hills portion of their reservation. When park officials asked protesters how long they intended to stay, UNA president Lehman Brightman replied, "As long as the grass grows, the water flows, and the sun shines.” -
Activist Occupy Plymouth Rock
AIM activists occupied Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts. Known
as the National Day of Mourning, this annual event was sparked
by Commonwealth of Massachusetts officials censoring a
speech. The reason given was the theme of the anniversary
celebration is brotherhood and anything inflammatory would
have been out of place. James speech included many harsh
truths. James wrote and went on to recall the loss of language.
culture, land, and life. However, his speech closed with a call for -
The Trail of Broken Treaties Caravan Arrives in Washington D.C.
Protesters from the Trail of Broken Treaties Caravan occupied
the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) offices in Washington, D.C.
for six days. The protesters 20-Point Manifesto begins. "We
seek a new American majority - a majority that is not content
merely to confirm itself by superiority in numbers, but which by
conscience is committed toward prevailing upon the public will in ceasing wrongs and in doing right.