Clyde Bellecourt
Native American civil rights organizer
Died when: 85 years 248 days (1028 months)Star Sign: Taurus
Clyde Howard Bellecourt (May 8, 1936 – January 11, 2022) was a Native American civil rights organizer.His Ojibwe name is Nee-gon-we-way-we-dun, which means "Thunder Before the Storm".
He founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1968 with Dennis Banks, Eddie Benton-Banai, and George Mitchell.His elder brother, Vernon Bellecourt, was also active in the movement.
Under Bellecourt's leadership, AIM succeeded in raising awareness of tribal issues.AIM shone a light on police harassment in Minneapolis.
Bellecourt founded successful "survival schools" in the Twin Cities to help Native American children learn their traditional cultures.In 1972, he initiated the march to Washington, D.C. called the Trail of Broken Treaties, hoping to renegotiate federal-tribal nations' treaties.
Non-profit groups he founded are designed to improve economic development for Native Americans.