Guest Commentary

Russell Means: By All Means Necessary

Dr. LaNada War Jack in Native Condition. Discussion »

Russell Means had great heart for his Native people and was ready to fight and die fighting if necessary as he always expressed his sentiments by saying 'By all Means Necessary.'

"By All Means Necessary"

This fight came out of the injustice and discrimination our people had to contend with from the historic genocidal era to the present day. He was well aware of his history and the problems confronted both within the reservations, the neighboring towns and the urban communities as he was a very intelligent man.

Russell was very persistent and endeavored to bring attention to the problems even if he had to sacrifice himself and he always did.

Russell was instrumental in the leadership of the American Indian Movement, which became a strong vehicle and advocate for Indigineous people everywhere. Whenever Indian people needed help, they will think of strong fighters such as Russell Means and leaders like him.

We all need to be strong as individuals and empower ourselves to think and become spiritual minded like we always were before 1492. The American Indian Movement started long before it became a card-carrying organization and will continue until we get justice and respect for our "Mother Earth".

Pe la ma ay - Thank you Russell. We love you and rest in peace. The rest, we will continue to endeavor.

Dr. LaNada War Jack, formerly LaNada Means, is the president of Indigenous Visions Network. She was a student leader at UC Berkeley and organized the Third World Strike - which ultimately led to the development of the Ethnic Studies Program at Cal. Dr. War Jack along with Richard Oakes, co-organized the take-over of Alcatraz in November, 1969. She has written an upcoming book on the history of the Alcatraz takeover.

posted October 24, 2012 9:57 am edt