APRIL 2, 1887

OJIBWE ACTIVIST/EDUCATOR EQUAY ZAINCE (ELIZABETH BENDER ROE CLOUD) BORN

Elizabeth was from the White Earth Reservation in Minnesota.  Graduating from Hampton Institute in 1907, she joined the Society of American Indians and taught, first on the Black Feet reservation in Teton, Minnesota, and later at Carlisle Indian Industrial School.  In 1916, she met and married Henry Roe Cloud [see December 29].  They founded the American Indian Institute, a college preparatory high school for young native men, in Wichita, Kansas.  In 1939, President Roosevelt appointed Elizabeth to represent minorities on the White House Conference on Children and Youth.  She then chaired the Indian Welfare Committee for the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.  In 1950, she was named National Mother of the Year.  During the 1950s, Elizabeth advocated for improved educational opportunities for native children and worked with the National Congress of American Indians.  Her brother was baseball Hall of Famer Charles “Chief” Bender.  She died September 16, 1965, in Portland, Oregon.

Sources:  Nesper, Larry (2014). "The Society of American Indians Fourth Annual Meeting: uw-Madison, October 1914,"  Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin–Madison. Retrieved 6/26/2019, https://nelson.wisc.edu/events/summit/1914sai-meeting.php Renya Ramirez, “Elizabeth Bender Roe Cloud,” Elderviews, 12/6/2012.  Retrieved 6/26/2019,   https://elderviews.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/elizabeth-bender-roe-cloud/
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