Google Honors American-Indian Activist Richard Oakes with New Doodle

May 22 (UPI) -- Google is celebrating what would have been the 75th birthday of American-Indian activist Richard Oakes with a new Doodle.

Google's homepage features artwork-depicting Oakes alongside important locations from his life including the Mohawk in Akwesasne, Alcatraz Island and Pit River.

Oakes was born in Akwesasne. When he was 18, he moved to San Francisco, and enrolled in San Francisco State University shortly after. There, his passion for empowerment through education led him to play an integral role in creating one of the first American Indian studies programs in the nation.

He played a part in creating one of the first American-Indian studies programs in the nation shortly after enrolling into San Francisco State University.

"Oakes went on to be a champion for social justice in his community," Google wrote. "His most powerful protest happened in 1969 when he led a group of activists occupying Alcatraz Island. The aim was not only to set up a community, complete with a university, museum and cultural center, but also for the government to acknowledge the rights of American Indians to claim the out-of-use federal land as their own."

He was unsuccessful in securing the deed to Alcatraz Island, but, Google says, Oakes "brought their issues into the media spotlight and made a substantial impact on the treatment of American Indians in the U.S." Oakes also helped the Pit River Tribe in their claim for land in Northern California.

Oakes was shot dead on September 20, 1972, after he confronted a camp manager at the YMCA over the treatment of American-Indian children.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, Richard Oakes made a stand for the rights of American Indians. Over his time as an activist, he fought peacefully for freedom, justice, and the right of American Indians to have control over their lands.

"Here's to Richard Oakes, for his unwavering dedication to his community and social justice," the company noted.

Indian Country Media Today featured a more in-depth article on Richard Oakes.

Who Was Richard Oakes?

Reprinted with permission from Indian Country Today Media

May 22, 2017. Murdered far too young at the age of 30, Mohawk activist Richard Oakes "had a profound impact on the struggle for Indian rights," according to Alexander Ewen and Jeffrey Wollock in their book, "Encyclopedia of the American Indian in the Twentieth Century" (University of New Mexico Press, 2015).

Richard Oakes was born on May 22, 1942 in Akwesasne, on the border of Canada and New York State. He left school at the age 16 to become a construction worker. He then attended Adirondack Community College and Syracuse University, both in New York.

When he was 18, he moved to San Francisco and enrolled at San Francisco State University. He played an integral role there in launching and developing the curriculum for one of the first American Indian studies programs in the Uniteds States. It was also during his time in California that he met and married a Kashia Pomo woman, Annie Marufano, and adopted her five children.

The Occupation of Alcatraz Island may be what Richard Oakes is most known for, because it brought national attention to Native American issues. Nearly 80 college students took over the island in San Francisco Bay on November 20, 1969 to protest poor treatment of Indians in schools and termination policy in a 19-month occupation that would have a lasting impact.

While Richard Oakes and the other leaders of the Alcatraz Occupation didn't succeed in obtaining the deeds to Alcatraz Island in order to set up a community with a university, museum, and cultural center, they did get some positive actions from the White House. President Richard Nixon put an end to termination policy in 1970.

In his July 8, 1970 address, Nixon called for a new policy of "self-determination without termination," instigating lasting changes in federal-Indian relationships. "The first Americans-the Indians-are the most deprived and most isolated minority group in our nation," he said. "On virtually every scale of measurement-employment, income, education, health-the condition of the Indian people ranks at the bottom."

Since the Occupation of Alcatraz Island, many federal laws have been passed that have had a positive impact on Natives, including the Indian Education Act, and the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act, as well as the Indian Health Service budget doubling and the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission being established.

A tragedy in January 1970-the death of his stepdaughter Yvonne-Richard Oakes left Alcatraz Island, but that same year joined the Pit River Tribe's fight to reclaim their land near Mount Shasta, California from the Pacific Gas & Electric Company.

Richard Oakes did all of this in just 30 short years-he was shot and killed on September 20, 1972 by Michael Morgan, a security guard at a YMCA camp. "Oakes was there simply to pick up a friend, but when the argument grew heated, a security guard for the camp shot the unarmed Oakes dead," Ewen and Wollock said. Morgan, a non-Indian was charged with murder, but claimed that Oakes ambushed him and the charge was changed to involuntary manslaughter. "Although there was no evidence of a struggle, Morgan's attorneys argued self-defense before a jury of non-Native citizens," they said. Morgan was acquitted, and the death of Richard Oakes stunned the Native activist community.

"Though his life was short, Oakes had a profound impact on the struggle for Indian rights, and his actions inspired such groups as the American Indian Movement (AIM) to try to duplicate his success," Ewen and Wollock said.

In Akwesasne, Richard Oakes, a Faithkeeper in the Mohawk Nation Longhouse remembers his cousin and his work. He named his son after his cousin stating, "Richard has become somewhat of a family name. We are all-proud of his work and must continue in his path for the future of our children."

For more information on the impact of the occupation of Alcatraz read; Alcatraz Occupation Four Decades Ago Led to Many Benefits for American Indians by Dr. Dean Chavers, Indian Country Today, November 14, 2017.