
Nebraskans for Peace was recognized as the ‘organization of the year’ at the Second Annual Chief Standing Bear Commemoration held in the State Capitol Rotunda this past May 12.
Hosted by the Nebraska Commission on Indian Affairs, the annual Standing Bear awards ceremony commemorates the life of the famous Ponca Chief, whose 1879 lawsuit established once and for all that “an Indian is a person within the meaning of the law.”
The Commission selected Nebraskans for Peace as this year’s “2006 Organizational Winner” for its “exemplary work on behalf of Human Rights issues,” and specifically for its “tireless efforts to bring awareness to the travesty at Whiteclay.”
Accepting the award on behalf on the Nebraskans for Peace was Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska and national Native American spokesperson Frank LaMere.
In presenting the award, Oscar Harriott of the Nebraska State Ombudsman’s Office stated that LaMere and Nebraskans for Peace “have given a voice to those who would otherwise not be heard, and a face to the nameless. We are grateful for your consistent advocacy on behalf of Nebraska’s native people on the Whiteclay issue, as a well as a myriad of others.”