Clyde Bellecourt (1936–2022), civil rights activist who co-founded AIM
legacy.comClyde Bellecourt was a Native American civil rights activist who co-founded the American Indian Movement (AIM).Raised on an Ojibwe reservation in northern Minnesota, Bellecourt co-founded AIM in 1968, after serving prison time for burglary and robbery.
It was there that he met co-founders Eddie Benton-Banai (1931–2020) and Dennis Banks (1937–2017) and talked to them about the challenges Native Americans faced, including police brutality.
They agreed to start a program to help Native Americans living in cities, which grew into AIM. Bellecourt served as AIM’s national director and led protests including the Trail of Broken Treaties, a 1972 caravan from the west coast to Washington DC to demand Native American sovereignty.
He was a leader of calls to eliminate Native American names of sports teams, focusing on the Washington Redskins and Atlanta Braves.
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