Willard LaMere facts for kids

Willard LaMere (born 1918, died November 29, 1990) was an important Native American leader. He worked to help his community in Chicago, Illinois during the mid-1900s. At this time, the U.S. government wanted Native Americans to join mainstream American society.

Willard LaMere worked hard to keep Native American culture and traditions alive. Many Native Americans were moving from reservations to cities. He helped start many groups, including the Native American Educational Services College. This college was the first higher education school in a city run by and for Native Americans. Willard LaMere was also the first student to graduate from this college.

Willard LaMere: A Community Leader

Willard LaMere was a member of the Ho-Chunk nation. He moved to Chicago in 1937. There, he became a highly respected leader among the city's Native American people.

In the early 1950s, a group of people met to discuss the needs of Native Americans in Chicago. Willard LaMere was a key person at these meetings. He was the director of the Chicago branch of the Quaker-affiliated American Friends Service Committee.

Starting the American Indian Center

Willard LaMere was very important in creating a new service group. He helped raise money for this new center. It was based on a similar center in Los Angeles.

The American Indian Center (AIC) opened in September 1953. It offered many activities for the community. These included social gatherings, holiday meals, and pow-wows. The center also had a dance club that performed in the area. It helped Native Americans take part in Chicago parades and other city events. Today, the AIC is still a main cultural place for the many Native Americans in Chicago.

American Indian Chicago Conference

The 1961 American Indian Chicago Conference (AICC) at the University of Chicago. Members from 90 tribes wrote a shared "Declaration of Indian Purpose." Photo by F. Peter Weil, courtesy of the NAES College Collection at the Northwestern University Libraries.

Willard LaMere was a main organizer of the important 1961 American Indian Chicago Conference (AICC). He helped bring together 460 Native Americans from 90 different tribes. This meeting happened from June 13 to June 20, 1961.

A goal of the event was to help "all Indians of the whole nation to express their own views." They also wanted to create a shared "Declaration of Indian Purpose." Representatives from the conference gave this declaration to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The idea of self-determination in this document was very important for Native American activism later on. This included the Red Power movement.

Other Achievements

In 1979, Willard LaMere started the American Indian Business Association of the Midwest in Chicago. This group helped Native American businesses. In 1988, Chicago's Indian Council Fire group honored LaMere. He received their Indian Achievement of the Year Award for his great work.

See also

• Urban Indian
• Native American civil rights
• Red Power movement