Abourezk: An unlikely defender of Indian rights

Wednesday, March 19, 2008  

"You might not think A. Jay Adler would have much to say about Indians.

The Jewish-born son of eastern European immigrants, Adler grew up in New York City, where the only exposure he had as a child to Native Americans came through school stories and western movies. Today, he practices Zen Buddhism and works as an English professor at a small community college in Los Angeles.

Not exactly the makings of a defender of Native rights.

But wait, there's more to the story.

"When I lived in Minnesota for a few years in the early '90s, it was the first time Native Americans were a part of my landscape, and the first time I witnessed directly what seemed a quite astonishing open racism," he said in an e-mail recently.

The state of Minnesota was involved in disputes with tribes over fishing rights, Adler said.

He decided to learn more."

Get the Story:
Kevin Abourezk: An Unlikely Indian Rights Champion (RezNet News 3/18)

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