Delphine Red Shirt. Photo by Rich Luhr / Flickr

In his speech Bill Bradley forgot the Indian people
By Delphine Red Shirt

When an activist dies, they enter the American consciousness for a short time and then life resumes. Sometimes some activists enter our history books and the impact their lives had on American history are told and retold to students of all ages.

How many Native American activists do our school children know? Is the occupation of Alcatraz Island on Nov. 20, 1969 and the activists who staged the protest qualify as history-worthy? Why or why not? In truth we as the original peoples are hardly ever included in American history and we must work to change that.

Because I work on a university campus, last night I had the opportunity to hear former Senator Bill Bradley speak. Because I teach history I was enthralled with his speech. His talk was fascinating in that he covered several decades in a mere hour (or less) and summarized complex historic events. The disappointing part of his talk was in his summary where he failed to mention the original people of this great nation.

Read the rest of the story on the all new Native Sun News website: In his speech Bill Bradley forgot the Indian people

(Delphine Red Shirt can be reached at redshirtphd@gmail.com)

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