How Did Alcatraz Occupation Influence The African American Civil Rights Movement

The 1960s and early 1970s were the times of the Vietnam War, the African American Civil Rights Movement, the Latino movement, Feminism, and all sorts social unrest and turmoil (Johnson and Nagel 14). Inspired by this wave of activism, American Indians decided to take action and start their own fight for equality and basic civl rights (14). One of the most significant events during this Native American "civil rights movement," doubtlessly, was the occupation of an abandoned state penitentiary, commonly known as Alcatraz Island, on November 20, 1969 (Lapin and Hanna). Young college students from all over California, mainly however from the University of California campuses, took the island raising media attention from all over the world and gaining the support of the San Francisco Bay Area's public (Johnson and Nagel 14). After 19 months, the Alcatraz takeover ended bringing only little change for the American Indians, yet, the proclamation issued during this occupation laid the foundation for future protest, because it
The takeover changed this. To begin with, the proclamation was not signed by the names of the authors, instead, it was signed by "The Indians of all tribes," which equals a political statement. Claiming, it is not Sioux, Apaches, or Mohawks occupying Alcatraz Island demanding basic human and civil rights for their tribes, it is all American Indians demanding this. And all, literally means "Indian people from across the United States, Alaska, Canada, Mexico, and South America," meaning from all over the "Americas" (Johnson and Nagel). Hence, the activists of the 1969 occupation overcame "tribal barriers" creating a feeling of being proud to be Indian, which crystallizes in the term