I respect men like John Trudell. Here is a man who recognizes injustice and fights, not only for himself, but for the generations of American Indians who follow him. It is somewhat sickening that I, along with many other people in the class, have not heard about him before this course. The school systems are really doing us a disservice by excluding Trudell from the curriculum. It seems like he should be mentioned in the same sentence as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X when it comes to civil rights activism.
I was hanging on every word of the Trudell documentary we watched in class. The man was so revolutionary and I loved how one person in the film compared him to Socrates. The person said that Trudell thinks about the world and writes it down, which makes him a philosopher. This alone, however, doesn’t just make one a philosopher. The fact that his message inspired people and gave them hope is what makes him a philosopher. That being said, I am still baffled as to why Trudell has never been introduced to me before. I wonder how much the F.B.I. has to do with the fact that Trudell is not a canonized figure in American history. 17,000 pages in a dossier seem a bit excessive for one man. One of my idols growing up, Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, once said that its healthy to have a thick F.B.I. file if you’re an activist. That means you’re doing your job. I think it’s safe to say that Trudell is doing his part. It’s just a shame that his message never got the chance to reach a mainstream audience.
Leading a successful revolution requires the cause to have an identity. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. was the face of the civil rights movement. Even in the present day, Barack Obama is the face of change and a new direction for our country. Both the civil rights movement and the need for change may have gathered less of a following if people weren’t able to put a face to the cause. A leader is needed in order for people to follow and John Trudell is that leader for American Indian rights. I will be teaching high-school English when I graduate. Trudell just became a fixture in my American Lit curriculum. Attempting to make future generations aware of his legacy is the least I can do.
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Ryan, I completely agree with you that John Trudell is a leader of his kind and in fact someone who doesn’t get the attention he deserves. I too had never heard of Trudell until we watched the video in class. He is a brilliant man who fights for he believes in, and what is essentially right. Why is it that he isn’t included in school curriculum? He is very inspirational and as a future teacher, I too will spread my knowledge of him for future generations. Also, I was impressed with your presentation on Red Jacket. He and Trudell both serve many similarities regarding Native American activism.
ReplyDeleteA funny thing happened in my poetry class. My poetry professor told us to write up a paper and presentation on present day great American poets. I decided to present John Trudell and my professor had never heard of him. She tried to talk me out of it, but the more I looked at her “alternative poets” the more I felt compelled to go back to John Trudell. Thus... I have finished my presentation and will be presenting tomorrow (April 15th).
ReplyDeleteThus the tradition of Oral Teaching continues. I find irony and joy in this.