NEW FACE FOR ACE —
NEW ERA FOR CERA
Anti-Indian groups put Indian in leadership positions
Roland Morris, a resident of the Flathead Indian Reservation and a member of the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe, is on the leadership fast track in the anti-Indian movement. In June he was elected to the board of a national group called the Citizens Equal Rights Alliance (CERA). In August he became chairman of All Citizens Equal (ACE) a Ronan-based group.Anti-Indian activists strongly deny that they or their groups are racist in any way. They portray themselves as citizens who are concerned about legal and political issues which surround tribal sovereignty. Human rights advocates point out that the organized attempt to abrogate the legally established right of tribes to govern the affairs of their members and their resources is inherently racist.
Unfortunately, the rhetoric of these opposing arguments is not the whole story. If it were, the focus of debate would be on tribal government and tribal members. More often racism enters the debate around tribal sovereignty as the focus changes from tribal government to Indian vs. non-Indian. In that environment, overt racism often enters the discussion. In a study published in 1992, the World Center For Indigenous Studies found recurrent and troubling connections between the anti-Indian groups and white supremacist organizations.
In Montana the most vocal anti-Indian groups have been ACE and its precursor Montanans Opposed to Discrimination headquartered on the Flathead Indian Reservation. These groups have opposed tribal government at virtually every turn. From tribal hunting permits to the management of the National Bison Range, ACE has yet to see a tribal effort of which it approved. ACE activists and board members have associated themselves with hard core racist groups in the past. For example, a former vice president of ACE distributed anti-Semitic literature in the community. In addition, a group formed by racist activists Frank Ellena and Keith Roberts, called the Freedom Fellowship Forum, claimed several ACE activists as supporters.
The Wise Use Connection
The anti-Indian movement is also an integral part of the Wise Use movement, a compendium of groups that focus on natural resource development and property rights issues from an anti-environmental perspective. Indian tribes control numerous natural resources ranging from timber to minerals. In addition, the legal concept of tribal sovereignty puts tribal governments squarely in the middle of the debate about the property rights of individuals living within the borders of reservations (see related article).
CERA is the most visible and politically active anti-Indian group at the national level. Its June meeting in Washington, D.C., was held in conjunction with the "Fly-In for Freedom" sponsored by the Alliance for America. According to Outside Magazine, the Alliance is "[a] coalition of 600 Wise Use and property rights groups claiming to represent eight million people in the East and West."
CERA's connection to the Alliance is not surprising.
In 1995 the Alliance held a meeting in Ronan with
speakers including Montana Republican House Speaker John
Mercer and unsuccessful Republican congressional
candidate Allan Mikkelson. The national president of the
group at the time was Montana's own Bruce Vincent,
founder of Citizens for a Great Northwest.
So Much Denial
Despite the gains of the far right in recent years, racism remains politically unpopular. Although current political issues like immigration reform and affirmative action seek to play the "race card" in a way that builds a stronger political base for "conservatives," radical right wing groups like the Liberty Lobby still deny that they are racist or anti-Semitic in any way. ACE is no different.
ACE materials often include non-discrimination statements and disclaimers. ACE's bylaws proclaim that it does not tolerate racism in any form. Newsletters and other publications are full of the terminology of civil rights. On its web page ACE says it "is dedicated to the civil rights and equal protection" under the Constitution. It goes on to proclaim, "Persons of Native heritage should not be subject to law based on racial heritage." Ads in the local paper announce that ACE is now a "multiracial group."
But despite all of these efforts, ACE remains widely regarded as a fundamentally anti-Indian organization. As an example, the Great Falls Tribune coverage of Morris' election as the chairman of ACE was given a headline which read, "ACE hopes to overcome racist, anti-Indian image on Flathead."
The fact that Roland Morris is Native American does little to demonstrate that ACE is not an anti-Indian group. The Christian Right will find a "rabbi" to make its case, the militia will find a black "patriot," and now, the anti-Indian movement has found its Indian spokesperson. The issue is the behavior of the group, the positions it takes, and how it deals with racist attitudes within its own membership. . . not the ethnic heritage of its leader.