[OLChemist]

An interesting online exhibit from the Muscarelle Museum of Art at William and Mary College:

Legacy

[wardancer]

Interesting !
But still relevant in today's environment ? I just don't know......The inspirational leaders are gone and the leaders of today's AIM are .....less outspoken and not the type that inspire as in the old days. They'll have issues re-creating that type of live or die movement. I've lost my faith in them. My AIM patches are put away in a trunk somewhere.

[OLChemist]

In my opinion, today's relevance has more to do with the changes wrought by NIYC, UIAT, AIM and other groups of the 60's and 70's. I think it is arguable that the "Red Power" movement did create today's climate in Indian Country. Part of the do or die energy of the movements was a product of the existential threat posed by Termination. When Nixon put a stake through the heart of PL280, the immediate threat to the survival of the tribes as political entities abated.

The do or die issues today don't require firebrands. They need people who speak their language and are good with children to pull the worldview contained in that language away from the brink. They need the folks who run treatment centers and job placement programs. They need to folks fighting for food sovereignty and economic independence. These people are often a bit short on charisma. They'll never attract the attention of an Andy Warhol. But they are the folks who are going to keep our children Indian.


In terms of leadership, well... In a lot of ways I think AIM consumed all the oxygen in the room. Who remembers Clyde Warrior, Shirley Hill Witt, Lehman Brightman, Mel Thom, Janet McCloud, Oren Lyons.... After the Wounded Knee occupation, it became all about Banks, Means, and the Belcourts.

I also think you could argue that after WK and the shootout at the Jumping Bulls, AIM ate its own in a spasm of paranoia. The movement began to rack up a lot of self inflicted wounds.

Agian, I think the legacy of AIM is more in the folks who quit trying to be white after seeing the protests. It's in the folks who turned their energies toward fighting in courtrooms, state houses, and classrooms that these people might live. These are the folks who had the staying power and vision to make lasting change.