The Longest Walk - 30 years later

It's hard to believe that it's been 30 years since that July afternoon in 1978 when we were at a rally in Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC to welcome the Longest Walkers who had "completed a five month march from San Francisco. The 2,700 mile march then ended at the Washington Monument.

Although the entire effort was run by a coalition of more than a hundred Native American tribes and groups, it was planned and organized by the American Indian Movement (AIM) because it felt that Native water and land rights were under threat. (see Jo Freeman)

At the time we were involved with NASC (Native American Solidarity Committee). Ann was on the National Committee and I was with the New York City chapter and working with Jimmie Durham at the IITC (International Indian Treaty Council). So here's the lowdown on the anniversary activities

On Feb. 11th, Longest Walk participants embarked on a 5-month journey from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. arriving on July 11th. The Longest Walk south route is being led by AIM co-founder Dennis J. Banks. It is an extraordinary grassroots effort on a national level to bring attention to the environmental disharmony of Mother Earth, sacred site issues, and to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original longest walk.