Historian and journalist Doug George-Kanentiio will present the inside story of the modern Native Rights Movement at Oneida Public Library at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2020.

George-Kanentiio, a member of the Akwesasne Mohawk Nation, will talk about the Native Rights’ “Rosa Parks moment” in 1969 when his cousin Richard Oakes jumped off a schooner that was circling Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, swam 250 meters to the Island and proceeded to occupy the Federal property for 19 months. Oakes is credited for igniting the resurgence of the Native American rights movement in university curricula and in Federal Government circles.

George-Kanentiio is the author of “Iroquois on Fire” and “Iroquois Culture and Commentary.” He is also co-author with his wife Joanne Shenandoah of the picture book “Skywoman: Legends of the Iroquois,” published in 1998. A graduate of Syracuse University and the Antioch School of Law, he has been an editor of “Akwesasne Notes” and a contributor to many national newspapers.

The talk is free and open to the public. For more information, stop by the Oneida Library, 220 Broad St., or call 315.363.3050.

By martha

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