Ladonna Harris, a nationally known Native American activist is expected to attend a talk presented by two fellows from the Center for Southwest Research and Special Collections, Ashley Sherry and Max Fitzpatrick on Wednesday, May 5, at 5:30 p.m. in the Anderson-Waters Room of Zimmerman Library on the UNM main campus.
Photo: Native American activist LaDonna Harris
Under a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the fellows are processing papers from the LaDonna Harris and the Americans for Indian Opportunity collection. They work under the direction of project archivist Beth Silbergleit. Their talk is titled “Everybody Has Medicine: LaDonna Harris: Americans for Indian Opportunity and 40 Years of Activism.”
Harris, an Albuquerque resident for many years, has been an ardent advocate and activist for Native American equality and social justice for more than four decades. She is a member of the Comanche tribe and was born and raised in Oklahoma. In the 1960s and 70s, she became nationally known as a Native American activist. She was instrumental in founding Oklahomans for Indian Opportunity and was appointed by President Lyndon Johnson to serve on the National Council on Indian Opportunity (NCIO).
In 1970, she founded Americans for Indian Opportunity, an organization dedicated to advocating for the cultural, political, and economic rights of Indigenous peoples around the world. During the Carter administration, Harris was appointed to UNESCO as a special advisor to the Office of Economic Opportunity. Harris was instrumental in founding the National Indian Housing Council, National Indian Business Association, and the Council for Energy Resource Tribes, among others. AIO continues to serve indigenous peoples around the world, and the CSWR is committed to preserving LaDonna Harris’ and AIO’s record of achievement for researchers and scholars.
Ashley Sherry is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Anthropology. Max Fitzpatrick is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact Beth Silbergleit at bsil@unm.edu or 277-0060.
Media Contact: Karen Wentworth, (505) 277-5627; e-mail: kwent2@unm.edu
Posted by scarr at April 20, 2010 09:22 AM