June is Peliter Awareness Month

PELTIER AWARENESS MONTH - JUNE 2001

June is a significant month in both the history of the Peltier case and the history of the Lakota People. On June 26, 1975 the tragic shoot-out which, led to Leonard Peltier's unjust imprisonment occurred. Two years later, on June 1, 1977 Peltier was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences.

Almost a century prior to the shoot-out, on June 25, 1876, the Lakota People defeated Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn. Over a decade later, on June 25, 1876, the Ghost Dance was inaugurated on the Pine Ridge Reservation.

We want to dedicate this June to raising awareness about Leonard Peltier and related issues in our own communities. The activities will begin on Peltier's sentencing date - June 1st and conclude on June 26, the 26th anniversary of the shoot-out:

June 1 - 8 Congressional Outreach Week (letter drives, visits to district offices, and phone bank planning)

June 9 - 15 Letters to the Editor Week (send letters to your local newspapers)

June 16-26 Community Outreach Week (organize video showings, literature tables, book readings, and leafleting).

Initiate Peltier Awareness Month in your community. Contact us for more resources and organizing tips. Please let us know at the earliest possible date if you are organizing activities so that we can publicize them through our network, and let people in your area know what you are doing, should they ask. Also, your ideas and plans may help inspire others to take action.