LaDonna Vita Tabbytite Harris (born 1931) is a Comanche social activist from Oklahoma.[1] She is the founder and president of Americans for Indian Opportunity.[2]
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Harris was born on February 15, 1931 in Temple, Oklahoma, on her family's allotment land. Her parents were William Crawford, of European-American descent, and Lilly Tabbytite, who was Comanche. Her parents separated shortly after her birth, so she was raised by her maternal grandparents,[1] John and Wick-kie Tabbytite.[3] She grew up on her grandparents' farm, near Walters, Oklahoma during the Great Depression. Comanche was her first language.[1]
She married her high school sweetheart, who was the future Oklahoma Senator Fred R. Harris,.[2] The Harrises had three children together. Their first child, Kathryn Harris (now Tijerina) was born in 1950, their son Byron Harris was born in 1958, and their third and last child, Laura Harris, was born three years late in 1961.[4] Like their mother, the Harris kids have grown up to careers of stature. Kathryn is the New Mexico Director of External Affairs for the University of Phoenix; Byron is a technician in television production in Los Angeles; and Laura works with their mother as the Executive Director at Americans for Indian Opportunity.[5] Although Fred and LaDonna ultimately were divorced, they have maintained a friendship.
Harris helped the Taos Pueblo regain control of Blue Lake, and she helped the Menominee tribe gain federal recognition after their tribe had been terminated by the US federal government.[2]
In 1980 she was the Vice Presidential nominee of the short-lived Citizens Party as the running mate of Barry Commoner; however, she was replaced on the ballot in Ohio by Wretha Hanson.[6]
In the past, Harris served on the boards of the Girl Scouts of the USA, Independent Sector, Council on Foundations, National Organization of Women, National Urban League, Save the Children, National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing, and Overseas Development Corporation. Currently, she served on the boards of Advancement of Maori Opportunity, Institute for 21st Century Agoras, National Senior Citizens Law Center, and Think New Mexico. She serves on the advisory boards of the National Museum of the American Indian, American Civil Liberties Union, Delphi International Group, and National Institute for Women of Color.
In 2000, Harris published her autobiography, LaDonna Harris : A Comanche Life ISBN 0-8032-2396-X. A documentary about Harris' life is being filmed "LaDonna Harris: Indian 101",[7] by director/producer Julianna Brannum.
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| Preceded by — |
Citizens Party Vice Presidential candidate 1980 (lost) |
Succeeded by Richard Walton |