WILMA MANKILLER PRINCIPLE CHIEF AND WOMANS RIGHTS ACTIVIST

WILMA MANKILLER: PRINCIPLE CHIEF AND WOMANS RIGHTS ACTIVIST By: Morgan Travis

BIRTH TO 1970’S §Born November 18, 1945 in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. §Member of the Cherokee Indian Nation §BIA Relocates the Mankiller Family in the 1950’s to San Francisco. §Man. Killer was Bullied by peers in school because of her name and native Heritage. §Moves to family ranch out of town to live with grandmother Pearl Sitton. §Restored Confidence and Increased involvement in the San Francisco Indian Center.

POLITICAL BEGINNINGS §November 1969: Occupation of Alcatraz Island "It changed me forever, " she wrote. "It was on Alcatraz. . . where at long last some Native Americans, including me, truly began to regain our balance. “ §Active in community development and Native Education. §Home to Oklahoma in the 1970’s. §Employed at the Urban Indian Resource Center and volunteered in the community. §In 1981 she founded and then became director of the Cherokee Community Development Department §In 1983, she ran for Deputy Chief of the Cherokee Nation. “The only thing people wanted to talk about in 1983 was my being a woman. That was the most hurtful experience I've ever been through.

“I’ve run into more discrimination as a woman than as an Indian”

FIRST WOMAN PRINCIPLE CHIEF § 1985, when Chief Ross Swimmer left for Washington, D. C. , Mankiller stepped into his position, becoming the first woman to serve as Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. §Reelected for two terms §Retired from Position in 1995, due to bad health.

AWARDS §For her leadership and activism, Mankiller received numerous honors, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.

DEATH §Wilma Passed from Pancreatic Cancer April 6 th, 2010. § Buried in Stilwell, Oklahoma §Survived by husband Charlie Soap and two daughters §BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States: "As the Cherokee Nation’s first female chief, she transformed the nation-tonation relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the federal government, and served as an inspiration to women in Indian Country and across America. "A recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, she was recognized for her vision and commitment to a brighter future for all Americans. "Michelle and I offer our condolences to Wilma’s family, especially her husband Charlie and two daughters, Gina and Felicia, as well as the Cherokee Nation and all those who knew her and were touched by her good works. "