[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 156 (Tuesday, October 16, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H11621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO VERNON BELLECOURT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Ellison) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ELLISON. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to the life of 
Vernon Bellecourt of Minnesota, a selfless servant who committed his 
life not just to fight for American Indians but for the rights of all 
people.
  Last night I was at a funeral service for Mr. Bellecourt, and while I 
regret to report the recent passing of Mr. Bellecourt at age 75, I am 
grateful for his spirit of equality and inclusiveness which will 
continue to live on in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and around the 
world.
  Mr. Bellecourt, a member of the Ojibwe Band of the Minnesota Chippewa 
Tribe, came to St. Paul from Minnesota's White Earth Indian 
Reservation. As a skilled communicator and a natural leader, Vernon 
championed the power of community. He practiced what he preached, 
solidifying his commitment to community by operating several small 
businesses. And while Vernon was a businessman, his greatest 
contribution was as a human rights leader around the world and in 
Minnesota.
  Let me read a little bit from the Washington Post obituary that 
appeared today in the paper:
  ``Vernon Bellecourt, who fought to restore land and dignity to Native 
Americans and against the use of Indian nicknames for sports teams as a 
longtime leader of the American Indian Movement (AIM) died October 13 
of complications of pneumonia at a Minneapolis hospital.
  ``Since leaving behind careers as a hair stylist and real estate 
agent and joining his brother'' Clyde Bellecourt ``at AIM in the 1970s, 
Mr. Bellecourt had been in the forefront of the movement to ensure that 
treaty rights of Native American tribes and the U.S. Government would 
be fulfilled. He was president of the National Coalition of Racism in 
Sports and the Media and a principal spokesman for AIM.
  ``He was involved in numerous demonstrations to bring attention to 
his causes, including the 1972 occupation of the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs in Washington and the 1992 Super Bowl rally to protest the name 
of Washington's football team. He also spoke at colleges and 
universities around the world about more than 400 treaties that the 
group believed the U.S. was not honoring.
  ``Clyde Bellecourt, a founding member of AIM, said yesterday that his 
brother had been in Venezuela about 4 weeks ago'' to talk about 
``providing heating assistance to American tribes.''
  Mr. Speaker, let me wrap up and say that Vernon Bellecourt brought an 
issue to the attention of the American people that most of us walk past 
very quickly. Most of us would look at Native American sports team 
mascots and think no big deal. But just imagine, if you would, Mr. 
Speaker, teams called the Chicago Negroes or the Washington Caucasians. 
None of us would appreciate that kind of depiction of our ethnicity, 
and Mr. Bellecourt didn't appreciate it either. And he helped elevate 
the self-esteem of young Native Americans and also helped us understand 
our common humanity as we respect each other due to his inspirational 
work.
  I also want to say, Mr. Speaker, that I met Mr. Bellecourt in the 
early 1980s in Detroit, Michigan, when he was standing up for Native 
Americans at the Hopi Indian Reservation as they were in a conflict 
with Peabody Coal Company over land and treaty rights. I got to know 
him better when I joined him in northern Wisconsin, standing on the 
docks to stand up for Native American treaty rights. And whether you 
agree with him or not, Mr. Speaker, he embodied the spirit of an 
American standing up for what you believe in, speaking out for what is 
right, speaking up for the people who don't have a voice.
  Mr. Speaker, Vernon Bellecourt will be sorely missed and will never 
be forgotten. In my opinion, he is a great man and he has helped us 
discover ourselves in a deeper and more meaningful way. May God bless 
Vernon Bellecourt and sympathy for his family.

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