Dennis Banks Essay -- essays research papers

Describe the overall purpose of their organizational effort   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dennis Banks , an American Indian of the Ojibwa Tribe, was born in 1937 on the Leach Lake reservation in Minnesota and was raised by his grandparents. Dennis Banks grew up learning the traditional ways of the Ojibwa lifestyle. As a young child he was taken away from practicing his traditional ways and was put into a government boarding school that was designed for Indian children to learn the white culture. After years of attending the boarding school, Banks enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, shipping out to Japan when he was only seventeen years old.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Banks returned to Minnesota he was living in poverty and was later arrested for stealing groceries to help feed his growing family. His accomplice, who was white, was freed and given probation, but Banks was sent to prison. While in prison, Banks was determined to educate himself. He heard about the civil rights struggle that African Americans were dealing with at the time. He realized that the same thing was happening with American Indians and they must fight for their rights too. He wanted Americans to realize that native people are still here, that they have the same rights as every other U.S. citizen and have morals of their own.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dennis Banks dealt with racism most of his life and was robbed of his culture. He did not want Native people to live in poverty anymore or not have a voice in the government. He was tired of putting up with the battery, unfairness, and racism against Indians. He felt it was time for him to step up and take control of the situation. Dennis Banks 3 Accomplishment in assisting disadvantaged groups and how they were achieved   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1968 Banks co-founded the American Indian Movement (AIM). AIM is to help and protect the traditional ways of Indian people and also to engage in legal cases that protected treaty rights of Indian people, such as hunting and fishing, trapping, wild riceing. Through AIM, Dennis Banks wanted to confront racism with activism that deeply affected the Native religion and culture. Banks had inspired many Indians from many different tribes to join and fight for American Indian rights. In 1972 AIM organized a march called â€Å"Trail of Broken Treaties† across the U.S. to Washington... ...ian rights. He is a true activist and refuses to let anyone degrade or abuse Indians. He has stud up to government policies and laws and still will not be destroyed to fight for what he believes in.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dennis Banks 7 List any publications written by this individual Books by Dennis Banks Include: Banks, D., Erodes, R. (2004). Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement. Ojibwa Warrior. Reference Wilcox, B. (1996). Dennis Banks runs for justice on behalf or American Indian Rights. Metro, 14-20.Retrieved January 20, 2005, from http://siouxme.com/lodge/banks.html Banks, D. (2001). Biography of Dennis Banks .Retrieved January 20, 2005, from http://members.aol.com/Nowacumig/main.html Banks, D., Erodes, R. (2004). Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement. Ojibwa Warrior. Retrieved January 20, 2005, from http://www.oupress.com/bookdetail.asp?isbn=0-8061-3580-8 Corbett, B. (1999). Last call in Pine Ridge For the Lakota’s in White Clay, Nebraska, death is on the house. Retrieved February 6, 2005, from http://ishgooda.org/oglala/whitcla1.htm   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚