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Wilma Mankiller was born in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where her Cherokee father’s ancestors were forced to relocate during the Trail of Tears. When she was eleven, her family moved to California as part of the Indian termination policy. The American government’s intent with the policy was to assimilate Native Americans into urban areas and phase out the recognition of separate tribes, forcing the Native Americans to live “as Americans”. Wilma’s initial attempts at assimilation in California did not go well. She was bullied by classmates until she dropped out. She ran away several times as a teenager.

Eventually Wilma found a place in California where she felt she fit - the San Fransisco Indian Center. The American Indian Movement had started to find its voice among other groups involved in civil rights activism, and Wilma dove in. She began studying social welfare, and founded and directed a Youth Center for Native Americans. She did social work for Native American children, focusing her efforts on the preservation of their heritage.

When Wilma’s parents moved back to Oklahoma due to illness, she returned as well, bringing with her a passion for her heritage and some serious skills. She did amazing things for the Cherokee Nation through grant-writing and community work, raising a ton of money for community development. She also attended college at Flaming Rainbow University, where I will shortly be applying based solely on the name. Her work eventually earned her the titles of Deputy Chief, and then Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She was the first woman to fill either role, and though she suffered a surprising amount of sexism initially, she quickly became a respected leader. She was highly respected everywhere else, too, judging by the bazillion honorary degrees and hall of fame inductions she collected. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton, and because that wasn’t quite enough, she went and wrote a national best-seller you can read if you want to learn more about this amazing woman: Mankiller: A Chief and Her People.

Thank you, Wilma Mankiller.