“A faith you have suffered for becomes more precious. The more the Crow Dogs and other traditional families were persecuted for their beliefs, the more stubbornly they held on to them” (Crow Dog 105). This quote, from Native-American woman Mary Crow Dog in her autobiography Lakota Woman, describes the desire that Native people had to hold onto their beliefs until a time where it was safe to live them. In the 1950’s, 60’s, and 70’s, Native Americans and other social groups fought for their rights during the Civil Rights era. These groups included African Americans, Latinos, Women, and Queers. A combination of protest methods, both non-violent and radical, were necessary for all civil rights movements to gain traction, recognition, and support.
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Both groups wanted fair treatment and release of prisoners. In addition to discrimination from authority and government officials, Native Americans were also prosecuted against for very minor offenses. Mary’s husband, Leonard Crow Dog, was unfairly imprisoned for years: “The government made Leonard into a criminal for having defended his home and family against some drunken punks” (Crow Dog 222). Mary Crow Dog explains the effort she gave to support Leonard through his imprisonment, and how outsiders began to learn his story and want to help. She made speeches, spoke with lawyers, composed leaflets and newspaper articles, and continued trying to support her husband through small strategies. Leonard himself also engaged in small fights against the prison officials; he refused to cut his hair, demanded his sacred pipe as a religious right, and showed them that he would not relinquish his culture. Latinos also saw their prison population unfairly rising. The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican nationalist group, aimed to free incarcerated Puerto Ricans and war veterans from prison. They participated in protests such as street riots, marches, and campaigns; in contrast, they also opened an information center and started printing a newspaper. Native Americans physically defended themselves before being imprisoned, but afterwards they relied on smaller defiances and work from their relatives on the outside. Latinos incorporated more direct and diverse approaches. Another widely-used strategy, and one shared by these two groups, was the occupation of land to prove a point. In Lakota Woman, Crow Dog mentions participating in the famous siege of Wounded Knee in 1973. Members of the American Indian Movement, an advocacy group which promoted Indian rights, took control of the town on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation after the government failed to honor treaties. Lasting seventy-one days, members of the Oglala Lakota and
Both groups wanted fair treatment and release of prisoners. In addition to discrimination from authority and government officials, Native Americans were also prosecuted against for very minor offenses. Mary’s husband, Leonard Crow Dog, was unfairly imprisoned for years: “The government made Leonard into a criminal for having defended his home and family against some drunken punks” (Crow Dog 222). Mary Crow Dog explains the effort she gave to support Leonard through his imprisonment, and how outsiders began to learn his story and want to help. She made speeches, spoke with lawyers, composed leaflets and newspaper articles, and continued trying to support her husband through small strategies. Leonard himself also engaged in small fights against the prison officials; he refused to cut his hair, demanded his sacred pipe as a religious right, and showed them that he would not relinquish his culture. Latinos also saw their prison population unfairly rising. The Young Lords, a Puerto Rican nationalist group, aimed to free incarcerated Puerto Ricans and war veterans from prison. They participated in protests such as street riots, marches, and campaigns; in contrast, they also opened an information center and started printing a newspaper. Native Americans physically defended themselves before being imprisoned, but afterwards they relied on smaller defiances and work from their relatives on the outside. Latinos incorporated more direct and diverse approaches. Another widely-used strategy, and one shared by these two groups, was the occupation of land to prove a point. In Lakota Woman, Crow Dog mentions participating in the famous siege of Wounded Knee in 1973. Members of the American Indian Movement, an advocacy group which promoted Indian rights, took control of the town on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation after the government failed to honor treaties. Lasting seventy-one days, members of the Oglala Lakota and