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Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to late Billy Frank Jr.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Indianz.Com SoundCloud: Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony November 24, 2015

The late treaty rights activist Billy Frank Jr. was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, on Tuesday.

Frank, who died in May 2014 at the age of 83, was recognized for his lifelong commitment to protecting the treaty rights of tribes in the Pacific Northwest. His fight began when he was arrested for the first time at the age of 14.

"Billy was arrested more than 50 times in his fight to protect tribal fishing rights and save the salmon that had fed his family for generations. He was spat on, shot at, chased and clubbed and cast as an outlaw," President Barack Obama said in a ceremony at the White House. "But Billy kept fighting. Because he knew he was right. And in 1974, a federal judge agreed, honoring the promises made to Northwest tribes more than a century before."

President Barack Obama presents Peggen Frank with the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of her late father-in-law Billy Frank Jr., during a ceremony at the White House on November 24, 2015. Still image from White House / YouTube

Peggen Frank, the daughter-in-law of the late activist, accepted the medal on Frank's behalf. She is married to William Frank, the son of Billy Frank and the vice chairman of the Nisqually Tribe of Washington.

The full remarks delivered by Obama regarding Billy Frank follow:

Finally, we celebrate those who have challenged us to live up to our values. Billy Frank Jr. liked to say, “I wasn’t a policy guy. I was a getting-arrested guy.” And that’s true. Billy was arrested more than 50 times in his fight to protect tribal fishing rights and save the salmon that had fed his family for generations. He was spat on, shot at, chased and clubbed and cast as an outlaw. But Billy kept fighting. Because he knew he was right. And in 1974, a federal judge agreed, honoring the promises made to Northwest tribes more than a century before. Billy went on to become a national voice for Indian Country and a warrior for the natural world. “I don’t believe in magic,” Billy once said. “I believe in the sun and the stars, the water, the hawks flying, the rivers running, the wind talking.” They tell us how healthy we are, he said, “because we and they are the same.”

The text read as Peggen Frank accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom on behalf of Billy Frank Jr. follows:

Billy Frank, Jr. devoted his life to protecting the rights of Native Americans and to conserving our planet. For over 50 years, he tirelessly and fearlessly fought for the preservation of traditional ways of life and the protection of treaty fishing rights. He was widely renowned as an advocate for the physical and cultural survival of Native Americans. His legacy reminds us that the pursuit of equality and justice is the work of every generation.

Get the Story:
Obama awards Medal of Freedom to Billy Frank Jr. of Nisqually tribe (McClatchy 11/25)