Ladonna Harris Activism
Due to her activism, and her effectiveness, Harris began to attract attention. Appearing on the Dick Cavet Show with her husband, Harris became the focal point of the interview. Noting that she “had been in the news a great deal lately…” Cavet declared, “as you know it’s not always good when a wife gets in the news in Washington, but in this case it is.” Cavet added that Harris was “in the Man In The News section of the Times, [so] they had to change it to Woman In The News…” He then observed that, “It’s kind of rare in Washington that a wife gets to come out and be in the papers herself.” Harris’ work, abilities, and political momentum opened more doors for her to pursue her agenda. She served on the National Rural Housing Conference,
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Repeatedly, she found herself having to patiently educate people she met in Washington on the basic truths regarding Indian life and culture. As David Harrison, AIO Advisor so aptly put it, LaDonna Harris was the “first lady of Indian country.” She showed a great many people that Indian life was “so much more than was seen on the Saturday afternoon ‘B’ movie screens…” Harris’ work on the part of the Taos Pueblo Tribe exemplifies the effectiveness of her “Indian 101” program. In 1969, she and her husband helped bring the efforts of the Taos Pueblo Indians to recover the sacred lands surrounding the Blue Lake to the attention of President Nixon. She reminded Nixon’s people that during his campaign in New Mexico in 1968, Nixon had taken a popular photo with the Taos people that helped win him votes in the state. Harris thought Nixon might want to return the favor by helping the Taos people recover their sacred lake. After a difficult political battle in which her husband played a key role, a bill restoring the Blue Lake to the Taos people was passed by Congress. President Nixon held a signing ceremony at the White House, and, according to Harris, “nursed it for all it was worth.” Regardless, Harris referred to this event as a “major, major victory” and one of her most, “exciting
Repeatedly, she found herself having to patiently educate people she met in Washington on the basic truths regarding Indian life and culture. As David Harrison, AIO Advisor so aptly put it, LaDonna Harris was the “first lady of Indian country.” She showed a great many people that Indian life was “so much more than was seen on the Saturday afternoon ‘B’ movie screens…” Harris’ work on the part of the Taos Pueblo Tribe exemplifies the effectiveness of her “Indian 101” program. In 1969, she and her husband helped bring the efforts of the Taos Pueblo Indians to recover the sacred lands surrounding the Blue Lake to the attention of President Nixon. She reminded Nixon’s people that during his campaign in New Mexico in 1968, Nixon had taken a popular photo with the Taos people that helped win him votes in the state. Harris thought Nixon might want to return the favor by helping the Taos people recover their sacred lake. After a difficult political battle in which her husband played a key role, a bill restoring the Blue Lake to the Taos people was passed by Congress. President Nixon held a signing ceremony at the White House, and, according to Harris, “nursed it for all it was worth.” Regardless, Harris referred to this event as a “major, major victory” and one of her most, “exciting