[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 10]
[Senate]
[Page 13642]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          TRIBUTE TO ADA DEER

  Ms. BALDWIN. Mr. President, today I recognize and honor Ada Deer on 
the occasion of her 80th birthday. Throughout her life, Ada has been an 
effective advocate and leader whose trailblazing work has improved the 
lives of Native Americans, women, students and others in Wisconsin and 
across the Nation. The celebration of this milestone birthday is a 
special opportunity to celebrate her dedication to service and social 
engagement.
  Ada Deer was born on the Menominee Indian Reservation in Keshena, WI. 
She was the first Menominee to graduate from the University of 
Wisconsin-Madison and the first Native American to receive a masters of 
social work from Columbia University.
  She has been a champion for Indian rights throughout her remarkable 
career. When the Federal Government established a policy to terminate 
the sovereign status of tribes, the Menominee was among the first to go 
through the process of termination, and they suffered greatly under it. 
Ada organized a grassroots organization, Determination of Right and 
Unity for Menominee Shareholders, DRUMS, and fought successfully to 
restore Federal recognition of the Menominee tribe. Ada's leadership 
led to her election as the first woman to chair the Menominee tribe in 
Wisconsin.
  She spent many years as a lecturer in the School of Social Work at 
the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and also guided the university's 
American Indian Studies Department. Ada worked as a house director, 
community coordinator, school social worker, and professor.
  In 1978, she became the first Native American to run for secretary of 
State in Wisconsin, and in 1992 she was the first Native American woman 
to run for Congress in Wisconsin. In 1993, Ada became the first Native 
American woman to head the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She subsequently 
served as Chair of the National Indian Gaming Commission.
  I am proud to call Ada a friend, and I am grateful for her lifelong 
leadership and commitment to social justice. Her vital work continues 
today, focused on efforts to reduce the prison recidivism rate and 
create a reentry program for American Indians. Her lifetime of work, 
coupled with an enduring passion to instill in young people the drive 
to change their society through education and social engagement, shows 
what a determined person will continue to do--even when they have 
stated that they are ``retired.''
  I wish Ada good health and happiness for many years to come.

  

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