Floyd red crow westerman fought against injustice throughout his life

When he was 10 years old, he was sent to a boarding school 80 miles off the reservation where his hair was cut and was forbidden to speak his language. His experience at boarding school profoundly impacted him and as an adult, he became an advocate for Indigenous cultural preservation. Westerman continued onto high school, joined the Marines for two years and then graduated Northern State College in South Dakota with a degree in secondary education.

He was an active member in the American Indian Movement which fought to bring recognition of broken treaties, land rights, religious rights and all aspects of human rights for American Indians. Floyd was part of the historic protest culminated at Wounded Knee in that aimed to bring attention to injustices happening to the Lakota at Pine Ridge, South Dakota.

He became a respected country folk singer who used his songwriting to critique European impact on Indigenous communities. When the Intertribal Friendship House was at risk for closure, Floyd Westerman came to assist its fundraiser benefit in efforts to help raise thousands of dollars to avoid having IFH auctioned off by Alameda county.

Floyd red crow westerman fought against injustice throughout his life: “We saw injustice going on

Following his music career, he later become an actor and appeared in various movies such as Dances with Wolves , The Doors , Hidalgo , etc. Wilma Mankiller was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma on November Mankiller moved back to Oklahoma in and founded the Community Development Department for the Cherokee Nation with a focus on improving access to water and housing.

Her first project was held in Bell, Oklahoma which housed a small Cherokee community of families with no running water and high unemployment.