Indigenous Activists During the Occupation of Alcatraz (1969)

On November 20, 1969, eighty-nine Native Americans, led by activist Richard Oakes, seized control of Alcatraz. Originally occupied by Native Americans, from 1934 until 1963 this small island in San Francisco Bay had been home to the federal prison Alcatraz. Nicknamed "The Rock," the maximum security facility had housed many notorious criminals. After the prison closed, activists representing “Indians of all tribes” reclaimed the island as indigenous land and stayed for more than a year. Finally, in June 1971, President Richard Nixon ordered federal marshals to end the occupation: they forced the remaining protestors to leave the island. The protest inspired similar Native American protests at Mount Rushmore, Ellis Island and other federal facilities. This photograph was taken towards the beginning of the occupation. 

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