Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1530930
B I R T H O F A M O V E M E N T : The Occupation of Alcatraz American Indian action 55 years ago supported by unions N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 4 W A S the 55th anniversary of the Occu- pation of Alcatraz, a 19-month long occupation by American Indians and their supporters of Alcatraz Island (off San Francisco) and its prison complex, classified as abandoned surplus federal land. The group claimed the island in the name of "Indians of All Tribes" (IAT ). The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), among other unions, supported IAT. An ILWU dele- gation visited Alcatraz in the winter of 1970; representatives of the Electrical Workers and American Federation of Teach- ers also came along. " You folks are just like a labor union on strike," said Louis Goldblatt, ILWU secretary-treasurer and part of the delega- tion. " You have to last one day longer than the other guy." While negotiations between IAT and the federal government ultimately were not successful, the underlying goals of IAT were met: The occupation made the public aware of the plight of American Indians and their need for self-determination. As a result of the occupation, an official government policy of Indian self-determination replaced a policy of termination of Indian tribes. During the occupation, President Nixon returned Blue Lake and 48,000 acres of land to the Taos Indians. Occupied lands near Davis, California, became home to a Native Amer- ican university (since closed). The occupation of Bureau of Indian Affairs offices in Washington, D.C., led to the hiring of Native Americans to work in the federal agency that had such a great effect on their lives. The Alcatraz occupation gave birth to a political movement that continues today. American Indians protest their forced removal from Alcatraz. Credit: Ilka Hartmann. A photo from the ILWU Dispatcher in March 1970 shows the welcoming party greeting the trade union delegation to Alcatraz. Credit: Dietmar Rabich/ Wikimedia Common/Alcatraz, Barracks-2022-3087 44 cta.org Our Union C M Y CM MY CY CMY K