Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Encyclopedia
Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz is an American academic, educator, feminist activist, and writer.
Born in San Antonio, Texas
, Dunbar-Ortiz is of partial American Indian
background. She spent most of her youth growing up in the rural community of Piedmont, Oklahoma
. Dunbar-Ortiz's grandfather was an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World
, and for the Oklahoma Socialist Party
during its brief era of success, between the beginning of statehood in 1907 and its repression following the Green Corn Rebellion
of 1917.
She earned her Ph.D in History from UCLA in 1974. In the 1960s and 1970s, she was active in the anti-Vietnam War
and radical left movements and worked closely with the SDS
, the Weather Underground, and the African National Congress
. She was also very active in the women's rights movement, and from 1968–1970 was a leading figure, along with Maureen Maynes, Dana Densmore and Betsy Warrior, in the radical feminist group, Cell 16
.
In 1977, she and Jimmie Durham
organised the Conference on Indians in the Americas
in Geneva
.
In addition to many scholarly books and articles, she has published three memoirs, Red Dirt: Growing Up Okie (1997); Outlaw Woman: A Memoir of the War Years, 1960–1975 (2002); and Blood on the Border (2005), which is about what she saw during the Nicaragua
n Contra
war against the Sandinistas in the 1980s. Outlaw Woman won recognition from the Organization of American Historians
as a 2003 finalist for the Liberty Legacy Foundation Award
in the field of American civil rights struggles. Her writing has also appeared in Monthly Review
and The Nation
, and on the CounterPunch
website.
She is presently Professor Emerita
of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Hayward.
Born in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, Dunbar-Ortiz is of partial American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
background. She spent most of her youth growing up in the rural community of Piedmont, Oklahoma
Piedmont, Oklahoma
Piedmont is a city in Canadian and Kingfisher counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and it is a part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 3,650 at the 2000 census...
. Dunbar-Ortiz's grandfather was an organizer for the Industrial Workers of the World
Industrial Workers of the World
The Industrial Workers of the World is an international union. At its peak in 1923, the organization claimed some 100,000 members in good standing, and could marshal the support of perhaps 300,000 workers. Its membership declined dramatically after a 1924 split brought on by internal conflict...
, and for the Oklahoma Socialist Party
Socialist Party of America
The Socialist Party of America was a multi-tendency democratic-socialist political party in the United States, formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party which had split from the main organization...
during its brief era of success, between the beginning of statehood in 1907 and its repression following the Green Corn Rebellion
Green Corn Rebellion
The Green Corn Rebellion was an armed uprising which took place in rural Oklahoma on August 2 and 3, 1917. The uprising was a reaction by radicalized European-American, tenant farmers, Seminoles, Muscogee Creeks and African-Americans to an attempt to enforce the Selective Draft Act of 1917 and was...
of 1917.
She earned her Ph.D in History from UCLA in 1974. In the 1960s and 1970s, she was active in the anti-Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and radical left movements and worked closely with the SDS
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
, the Weather Underground, and the African National Congress
African National Congress
The African National Congress is South Africa's governing Africanist political party, supported by its tripartite alliance with the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party , since the establishment of non-racial democracy in April 1994. It defines itself as a...
. She was also very active in the women's rights movement, and from 1968–1970 was a leading figure, along with Maureen Maynes, Dana Densmore and Betsy Warrior, in the radical feminist group, Cell 16
Cell 16
Cell 16 was a militant feminist organization known for its program of celibacy, separation from men and self-defense training...
.
In 1977, she and Jimmie Durham
Jimmie Durham
Jimmie Durham is an American-born sculptor, essayist and poet, currently living in Europe.-Life and work:Durham was born in Washington, Arkansas and became active in theatre, performance and literature related to the US civil rights movement in the 1960s. His first solo exhibition as a visual...
organised the Conference on Indians in the Americas
Conference on Indians in the Americas
The first United Nations Conference on Indians in the Americas was held in Geneva in 1977.It was organised by Jimmie Durham, head of the International Indian Treaty Council, with Mapuche leaders exiled from Chile under Pinochet and supported by the American activist Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz.The...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
In addition to many scholarly books and articles, she has published three memoirs, Red Dirt: Growing Up Okie (1997); Outlaw Woman: A Memoir of the War Years, 1960–1975 (2002); and Blood on the Border (2005), which is about what she saw during the Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n Contra
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
war against the Sandinistas in the 1980s. Outlaw Woman won recognition from the Organization of American Historians
Organization of American Historians
The Organization of American Historians , formerly known as the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, is the largest professional society dedicated to the teaching and study of American history. OAH's members in the U.S...
as a 2003 finalist for the Liberty Legacy Foundation Award
Liberty Legacy Foundation Award
The Liberty Legacy Foundation Award is an annual book award given by the Organization of American Historians . The award goes to the best book written by a professional historian on the fights for civil rights in the United States anytime from 1776 to the present. Dr...
in the field of American civil rights struggles. Her writing has also appeared in Monthly Review
Monthly Review
Monthly Review is an independent Marxist journal published 11 times per year in New York City.-History:The publication was founded by Harvard University economics instructor Paul Sweezy, who became the first editor...
and The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, and on the CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
website.
She is presently Professor Emerita
Emeritus
Emeritus is a post-positive adjective that is used to designate a retired professor, bishop, or other professional or as a title. The female equivalent emerita is also sometimes used.-History:...
of Ethnic Studies at California State University, Hayward.
External links
- Official site
- "One or Two Things I Know about Us: Rethinking the Image and Role of the 'Okies'", Monthly Review, July-August 2002