Eva Arnold and Nellie Toulou met with President Kennedy in August 1963 after a 7-day drive to the Whitehouse.
It was agreed with a handshake that termination was ENDED. This was the beginning of self-determination and sovereignty. The next month, September 1963, Attorney General Robert Kennedy presented the confirmation of US policy change to the National Congress of American Indians.
Rob Lee
A closer look:
IncheliumHistory.com note: Sources write while Kennedy did vow to end Indian termination of Indian tribes, "he never took that last step to end termination," per Indian Country Today. Still a cool story, nonetheless.
But the steps he did take were impactful. According to ICT, 64 tribes were terminated by the time Kennedy took office. After that, just four occurred, ICT says.
"While Kennedy may be long remembered for his idealistic vision he called "the New Frontier," he also should be rightly remembered for his contributions to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The 1960 election between Kennedy and a young Richard Nixon closely divided a country coming off of eight years of a Republican Eisenhower Administration. Indian country hadn't fared so well during those years — 64 tribes were terminated by the time the presidential campaign was underway.
"Kennedy, however, chose to throw his weight behind Indian country. He called for an end to Termination and he pledged to "en practices that have eroded Indian rights and resources, reduced the Indians' land base and repudiated Federal Responsibility.
"During the campaign, Kennedy famously promised that, 'My administration would see to it that the Government of the United States discharges its moral obligation to our first Americans by inaugurating a comprehensive program for the improvement of their health, education, and economic well-being. There would be no change in treaty or contractual relationships without the consent of the tribes concerned. No steps would be taken by the Federal Government to impair the cultural heritage of any group. There would be protection of the Indian land base, credit assistance, and encouragement of tribal planning for economic development.
"Kennedy's platform marked a real change in the direction the Country would take on Indian affairs. His outreach to the National Congress of American Indians, Association of American Indian Affairs, the Friends Committee on National Legislation sparked hope that Indian tribes would soon see the day when they would gain the human right of self-determination. In fact, days after Kennedy's narrow election victory, the National Congress of American Indians, which was meeting in Denver, called its annual convention 'Self-Determination, Not Termination.'"
TribalCollegeJournal.org writes, "In September of 1963, Robert Kennedy was in Bismarck, North Dakota, in his official capacity as attorney general for his brother, President John F. Kennedy. He was to meet with the National Congress of American Indians. North Dakota was a Republican stronghold and many Natives didn't vote. It seemed politically expedient for the Democrat to spend his time elsewhere. Nonetheless, his opening line to the representatives of the 90 tribes gathered was stunning, especially coming from a White politician. Kennedy began, 'It is a tragic irony that the American Indian has for so long been denied a full share of freedom — full citizenship in the greatest free country in the world.' He stated that the tribes were being held in bondage by social and economic oppression, and that the fact this continued was 'a national disgrace.' His brother's administration was trying to provide better housing, education, and medical care, but he noted that Indian people deserved much more."
The NCAI came to the Whitehouse on March 5, 1963, as seen in this video.
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