Bill Text: NY J01710 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Mourning the death of Clyde Bellecourt, renowned Native American civil rights leader, distinguished citizen and devoted member of his community

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2022-01-25 - ADOPTED [J01710 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-J01710-Introduced.html

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Senate Resolution No. 1710

BY: Senator KENNEDY

        MOURNING  the  death of Clyde Bellecourt, renowned
        Native American civil rights  leader,  distinguished
        citizen and devoted member of his community

  WHEREAS, There are certain outstanding members of our community who,
through  their selfless commitment and dedication, have served to better
the quality of life in our community and have had a measurable  positive
impact  on  the  lives  of  its residents; Clyde Bellecourt was one such
individual; and

  WHEREAS, It is with  profound  sorrow  and  deep  regret  that  this
Legislative  Body  records  the  passing of Clyde Bellecourt, noting the
significance of his purposeful life and accomplishments; and

  WHEREAS, Clyde Bellecourt, founder of the American  Indian  Movement
who  led  protests  in  the  1970s at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, and in
Washington over broken  treaty  obligations,  and  who  later  pressured
sports  teams  to  expunge  their  Native  American  nicknames,  died on
Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at the age of 85; and

  WHEREAS, Born on May 8, 1936, on the White Earth Indian  Reservation
in northwestern Minnesota, Clyde Howard Bellecourt was the seventh of 12
children  born  to  Charles and Angeline Bellecourt; he attended a Roman
Catholic mission school on the reservation until he was a teenager; and

  WHEREAS, Overcoming much adversity, Clyde Bellecourt co-founded  the
American Indian Movement (AIM) in 1968, along with Dennis Banks, Russell
Means,  George Mitchell, Charles Deegan and others, to help advocate for
tribal sovereignty and  better  housing  and  opportunities  for  Native
Americans in Minnesota and across the United States; and

  WHEREAS,  Clyde  Bellecourt, who later worked for a utility company,
was chosen as the movement's first chairman and helped launch the  Trail
of  Broken  Treaties,  a long march from the West Coast to Washington in
1972; and

  WHEREAS, During this  time,  Clyde  Bellecourt  defended  the  armed
takeover of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and led the 71-day standoff at
the  Town  of Wounded Knee on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota
in 1973; and

  WHEREAS, A  true  asset  to  society,  Clyde  Bellecourt  began  the
bilingual  and  bicultural  Heart  of the Earth Survival School in 1972,
before establishing the Peacemaker Center for Indian youth; the American
Indian Movement Patrol, to provide security for the  Minneapolis  Indian
community;  a Legal Rights Center; the Native American Community Clinic;
Women of Nations Eagle's Nest Shelter; the International  Indian  Treaty
Council; and the American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center,
a program to move welfare recipients to full-time jobs; and

  WHEREAS,  Furthermore,  he  helped  create the National Coalition on
Racism in Sports and the Media, which urged  professional,  amateur  and

school  teams  to  abandon  nicknames like Redskins, Indians and Braves,
which he saw as demeaning stereotypes; and

  WHEREAS, Subsequently, in recent years, both the Washington Redskins
of  the  National  Football League and Major League Baseball's Cleveland
Indians dropped their old names; and

  WHEREAS, In  2016,  Clyde  Bellecourt  published  an  autobiography,
Thunder  Before  the Storm, in which he wrote of his own healing and the
transformation  of   the   American   Indian   Movement   from   violent
confrontation to constructive engagement; and

  WHEREAS,   With  his  fierce  dedication,  monumental  presence  and
selfless leadership, Clyde Bellecourt truly embodied the spirit  of  the
American  Indian  Movement  and the spirit of resistance, as well as the
strength and the resolve its people have held for more than  530  years;
and

  WHEREAS,  In  addition  to  his  beloved  wife,  Peggy  Sue (Holmes)
Bellecourt, Clyde Bellecourt is survived by four children, Susan, Tonya,
Little Crow and Little Wolf; and a host of grandchildren; and

  WHEREAS, Clyde Bellecourt's fight for justice  and  fairness  leaves
behind a powerful legacy that will continue to inspire people across our
state  and nation for generations to come; his insight and strength will
forever serve as a beacon of love, light and hope to the countless lives
he touched; he will be deeply  missed  and  truly  merits  the  grateful
tribute of this Legislative Body; now, therefore, be it

  RESOLVED,  That  this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
mourn the  death  of  Clyde  Bellecourt,  and  to  express  its  deepest
condolences to his family; and be it further

  RESOLVED,  That  a  copy  of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the family of Clyde Bellecourt.