AMERICAN INDIAN MOVEMENT (AIM) FORMED BY STUDENTS IN MINNESOTA
Formed at 1212 Plymouth Avenue, Minneapolis, 86 American Indians, mostly women and children showed up for its first meeting. Founded by Clyde and Vernon Bellecourt (White Earth Chippewa), Dennis Banks (Leech Lake Ojibwa), and George Mitchell (Ojibwa), AIM was created to stop urban Indians from being rounded up each weekend, beaten and jailed by the police. Its efforts helped to stop the termination of American tribes and assisted in indigenous people being able to legally participate in traditional ceremonies. AIM’s goals were the recognition of Indian treaties by the United States government, sovereignty, and protection of Native Americans and their liberties. It sought to accomplish these goals through lawsuits against the federal government and by activism and often by confrontation. Key events include the initial occupation of Alcatraz Island in 1969, the “Trail of Broken Treaties” March, and the 1973 occupation at Wounded Knee.
Sources: “American Indian Movement Turns 50 on Saturday July 28, 2018,” Native News Online.net. Retrieved 6/3/2020, https://nativenewsonline.net/currents/american-indian-movement-turns-50-on-saturday-july-28-2018/ American Indian Movement,” Civil Rights Digital History. Retrieved 6/3/2020, https://digilab.libs.uga.edu/exhibits/exhibits/show/civil-rights-digital-history-p/american-indian-movement Flag: Tripodero, 1/6/2018. Public Domain.
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