Leonard Peltier – The Longest-Held Native Activist© written by Felina Silver

When I hear the name Leonard Peltier, I think of…

I think of him often, partly because he shared the same birthday as my Cherokee mother—just three years apart to the day. His story always lingers in my mind, bringing back memories of films like Thunderheart (1992) and Incident at Oglala(1992), along with so many documentaries and interviews that have tried to capture the truth of what happened.

In 1977, Leonard Peltier was convicted of the 1975 murders of two FBI agents, Jack Coler and Ron Williams. He was given a life sentence. Leonard has admitted to firing in self-defense during that confrontation but has always denied being the one who took their lives.

Last year, I listened to a powerful Wondery Daily podcast interview (November 8, 2023) with Pulitzer Prize–winning author Louise Erdrich, who spoke about where things went so wrong in his case. Her words stayed with me.

It’s painful to imagine being sentenced to spend the rest of your life behind bars for something you didn’t do. Though Leonard never received the pardon he deserved, his sentence was commuted. He is finally home—free from the certainty of dying in a prison cell.

I often wonder what we can do, as individuals, to show someone like Leonard that they are not forgotten. Maybe it’s writing a letter of support, or simply keeping his story alive by sharing it. Small acts matter.

And here’s something many don’t know: Leonard Peltier is of Lakota, Dakota, and Anishinaabe descent, and grew up among the Turtle Mountain Chippewa and Fort Totten Sioux Nations in North Dakota.

Thank you for taking a moment to pause and reflect with me today.