Activism
The roots of her activism date from the mid-1960s, when she produced "Seeing Red," a bi-weekly radio program on New York's WBAI FM station which was the first Indian news show in the United States. Harjo moved to Washington D.C. in 1974.
In 1978 President Jimmy Carter appointed her a congressional liaison for Indian Affairs. Suzan Harjo appealed to multiple subcommittees within Congress to voice what Native Americans wanted from nation government. Suzan Harjo and fellow members spoke of and debated such as hunting, fishing, voting, & land contracts rights. In a Statute of Limitations for Indian Claims hearing on Feb, 17,1982, Suzan Harjo points out the national government administration has failed to comply with laws already in place in giving monetary funds back to tribes since 1966. It is unclear though how much money was received by tribes. In another example Suzan Harjo also fought for land rights. Unfortunately instead of dealing with the problem, Congress only gave back time. As a Washington Post article reported on this issue, Suzan Harjo stated, “They’re adding 10 to 15 yrs. to litigations process that is now going on…What I’m fearful is that tribes that are now negotiating in good faith…will back off & refuse to compromise”.
Read more about this topic: Suzan Shown Harjo