Wilma Mankiller, 1945-2010
Wilma Mankiller, 1945-2010
Wilma Mankiller was a Cherokee activist, social worker, and community developer. In 1985, she became the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation and sought to improve the nation’s health care, education system and government. She decided not to seek re-election in 1995 due to ill health. For more than two decades, Mankiller led her people through difficult times. After leaving office, she continued her activism on behalf of Native Americans and women. She also taught for a short time at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. President Barack Obama said in a statement after her death, “As the Cherokee Nation’s first female chief, she transformed the nation-to-nation relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the federal government, and served as an inspiration to women in Indian Country and across America,” he stated. “Her legacy will continue to encourage and motivate all who carry on her work.”
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Wilma Mankiller, 1945-2010
Wilma Mankiller was a Cherokee activist, social worker, and community developer. In 1985, she became the first female principal chief of the Cherokee Nation and sought to improve the nation’s health care, education system and government. She decided not to seek re-election in 1995 due to ill health. For more than two decades, Mankiller led her people through difficult times. After leaving office, she continued her activism on behalf of Native Americans and women. She also taught for a short time at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire. President Barack Obama said in a statement after her death, “As the Cherokee Nation’s first female chief, she transformed the nation-to-nation relationship between the Cherokee Nation and the federal government, and served as an inspiration to women in Indian Country and across America,” he stated. “Her legacy will continue to encourage and motivate all who carry on her work.”