Native American Committee facts for kids

The Native American Committee (NAC) was an important group in Chicago, Illinois. It focused on creating learning programs and schools for Native Americans. The NAC is most famous for starting the Native American Educational Services College. This college was special because it was the only one in a city run by and for Native Americans.

How the NAC Started

Native Americans Move to Cities

In the middle of the 1900s, many Native Americans moved to cities like Chicago. This happened because of US government policies like the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. These policies encouraged Native Americans to leave their reservations and move to urban areas. By 1969, Chicago was one of seven US cities with over 10,000 Native American residents.

The American Indian Center

In 1953, Native Americans in Chicago created the American Indian Center (AIC). The AIC offered many services, including social help, programs for kids and seniors, and cultural events. It aimed to support the growing Native American community in the city.

Forming the NAC

In 1969, a new group formed within the AIC. They were inspired by the Occupation of Alcatraz, a protest where Native Americans took over Alcatraz Island for two years. This new group called themselves the Native American Committee (NAC). They wanted the AIC to offer more education programs and to use stronger ways to fight for Native American rights.

Some of the first NAC members included Dennis Harper, Robert V. Dumont, Jr., William Whitehead, Nancy Dumont, Verdaine Farmilant, and Faith Smith. Faith Smith worked as an assistant to Robert Rietz, who was the director of the AIC for a long time.

Different Ideas for the AIC

In 1991, Faith Smith explained that there were different ideas within the AIC. She and others wanted the AIC to focus more on the daily challenges faced by Native Americans in the city. However, many existing members felt the center should be more of a social place for the middle class. Helen Whitehead, another NAC member, said that the NAC wanted to help Native American students build a positive self-image from a young age.

NAC Becomes Independent

Leaving the AIC

In 1970, the NAC officially became its own organization in Illinois. Even though it was separate, many NAC members still worked at or belonged to the AIC.

The Housing Protest

That same year, a protest about housing began near Wrigley Field, the home stadium of the Chicago Cubs. A Menominee woman named Carol Warrington, who had six children, stopped paying rent because her apartment needed many repairs. On May 5, 1970, her landlord forced her family out. The NAC then organized a public protest.

NAC activists borrowed a special ceremonial teepee from the AIC. They set it up next to the baseball stadium. This protest successfully brought attention to Carol Warrington's situation and the poor living conditions many Native Americans in Chicago faced.

The Group Splits

Soon after, the NAC protest group split. Many AIC members thought the short protest was a success and should end. However, a core group of NAC members, led by Steve Fastwolf, left the protest to focus on the NAC's main goal of education. Michael Chosa led the remaining campers away from the NAC. They formed a new group called the Chicago Indian Village (CIV). Their protest continued in different places until 1972.

Educational Achievements

Little Big Horn School

In 1971, the NAC successfully started its first big project: the Little Big Horn School. This high school was a partnership with Chicago Public Schools. It was created to meet the specific needs of Native American high school students. With a grant of $244,000 from the government, five teachers at the school taught eighty high school students and twenty preschool students.

O-Wai-Ya-Wa Elementary School

Following this success, the NAC started the O-Wai-Ya-Wa Elementary School program in 1973.

Native American Educational Services College

In 1974, Faith Smith and the NAC founded the Native American Educational Services College (NAES College). Faith Smith became its president. This college was unique because it was the only higher education school in a city that was managed by and served Native Americans. The college helped more than three hundred students graduate before it stopped offering classes in 2005.

See also

• American Indian Center
• Chicago Indian Village
• Native American civil rights
• Red Power movement
• Urban Indian