Eco-Warriors: Grace Thorpe

Episode Summary

Grace Thorpe was a pioneering advocate for environmental and Native American rights. She was born in 1921 to famous Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe and Cherokee mother Ivah Miller. After serving in WWII, Grace settled in New York as a single mother. In 1969-70, she joined the occupation of Alcatraz Island, bringing national attention to Native land rights. Though the occupiers were removed, it was a watershed moment. Grace later co-founded the National Indian Women's Action Corps and pushed for economic opportunities on Native lands. In 1992, she convinced her Sac and Fox tribe to withdraw from a federal nuclear waste storage program on their land, leading 11 other tribes to also withdraw. Grace continued her activism for Native and environmental causes until her death in 2008 at age 86. She dedicated her life to fighting for conservation, ecological justice and Native rights.

Episode Show Notes

Grace Thorpe (1921-2008) was a pioneering advocate for environmental and Native rights.

Episode Transcript

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At birth, Grace was also given a native name inspired by her great grandmother, Noh-Tay-Noh-Kwa, which means the power of the wind before a storm. Two years after Grace's birth, her parents divorced. Jim moved to California to pursue film while Ivah worked multiple jobs to support Grace and her three siblings. When the US entered World War II, Grace joined the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and rose through to the rank of corporal. She was sent to the Philippines, Japan, and New Guinea as a recruiter. While she was stationed in New Guinea, she met Lieutenant Fred W. Seeley in 1945, Grace was honorably discharged, and a year later, she and Fred were married. They welcomed two children, Dagmar and Paul. But by 1950, Grace and Fred had separated. Grace returned to the United States with her two children and settled in Pearl River, New York. She worked multiple jobs to support them just like her own mother had for her and her siblings. In the mid-1960s, tragedy struck. Her teenage son died in a car crash. Grieving and seeking change, Grace relocated to Arizona where she was able to connect with her native roots. In 1969 and 1970, Grace joined the 19-month-long occupation of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. The group, known as the Indians of All Tribes, was leading what Grace later called the most important event in the Indian movement to date. Under the Treaty of Fort Laramie, between the U.S. and the Lakota Tribe, all retired, abandoned, or out-of-use federal land was to be returned to the tribes who originally lived there. Since Alcatraz Penitentiary closed in 1963, the activists claimed it should be returned to Native Americans. Grace wrote press releases and acted as negotiator between activists and the federal government. The occupation garnered national media attention and celebrities like Jane Fonda and Marlon Brando spoke up in support of the native activists. In the end, the protesters were forcibly removed from Alcatraz and sovereignty of the island was not restored to native tribes. However, the occupation represented a watershed moment for indigenous activism. Grace's advocacy didn't stop there. Grace served as the Economic Development Conference Coordinator for the National Congress of American Indians in 1968 and 1969. In this role, she pushed for factories to relocate to native land to create more economic opportunities for native workers. In 1971, she co-founded the National Indian Women's Action Corps. When explaining the mission of the group, Grace said, we Indian women decided to start beating the drum for ourselves. We want all Indian women who want to be active to join us in finding solutions to our problems. In 1992, Grace's activism turned to an issue close to home. The Sac and Fox tribe had accepted a $100,000 federal grant to study the temporary storage of radioactive waste on tribal land. The tribe and 16 others accepted the grant, believing the money would alleviate high unemployment rates. Grace worried about how the nuclear waste would affect the tribes. She researched the hazards and set out to convince her tribe to withdraw from the study. In 1993, Grace helped found and served as president of the National Environmental Coalition of Native Americans. She traveled around the country, educating tribes about the dangers of nuclear waste. Grace successfully convinced the Sac and Fox tribe to withdraw from the nuclear waste program. 11 other tribes soon followed. Grace continued her activism until she passed away from heart disease in 2008. She was 86 years old. All month, we're highlighting eco warriors. For more information, find us on Facebook and Instagram at Womantica Podcast. Thank you to co-creators Ginny and Liz Kaplan for having me host this week. Talk to you tomorrow. SPEAKER_07: Thank you. in charge of your upgrades. 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