Poet-Activist Trudell To Perform At Muhlenberg
John Trudell, poet, singer, and longtime activist for Native American rights and freedoms, will offer a spoken word performance at Muhlenberg College, Monday, October 28, 8 p.m. in Lithgow Science Auditorium, Trumbower Hall.Monday, October 14, 2002 11:38 AM
John Trudell, poet, singer, and longtime activist for Native American rights and freedoms, will offer a spoken word performance at Muhlenberg College, Monday, October 28, 8 p.m. in Lithgow Science Auditorium, Trumbower Hall. Trudell's appearance is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Muhlenberg College Center for Ethics in conjunction with its yearlong theme, "The Boundaries of Home: Patriotism in a Global Era."
Trudell's poetic talent surfaced after an immense tragedy: In 1979, he lost his wife and three children when a fire of suspicious origin destroyed his home on the Shoshone Paiute Reservation in Nevada. Trudell has since released three books of poetry, three CDs of both musical and spoken word pieces, and has appeared in three feature films including "Thunderheart" and "Smoke Signals." His most recent CD, "Bone Days," was released in March 2002 by Daemon Records with executive producer Academy Award-winning actress Angelina Jolie.
A Vietnam veteran, Trudell served in the U.S. Navy from 1963-1967. In 1969 he was the national spokesperson of the Indians of All Tribes Occupation of Alcatraz Island. and served as national chairman of the American Indian Movement (1973-1979) during a time of great turbulence and intensity for Native Americans, culminating in the siege of Pine Ridge Reservation, the Occupation of Wounded Knee, the Jumping Bull Incident, when two FBI agents and one Native American were killed, and the years of trials and continuous attacks following these events.
