Have you peeped Google today? It’s all about Richard Oakes, an activist known for advocating for the rights of Native Americans.
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The search engine site, which sometimes uses its homepage to honor prominent figures, is highlighting the revolutionary, who would have been 75 years old today.
Born in 1942 on the Mohawk reservation of Akwesasne, Oakes spent his childhood days planting and fishing much like his ancestors. By age 18, he moved to San Francisco and enrolled at San Francisco State University.
Dissatisfied with his classes, he worked closely with one of his professors to help create one of the first Native American studies department in the nation.
Oakes then went on to spearhead several movements including the occupation of Alcatraz Island, where nearly 80 Native Americans took over the area for 19 months to successfully reclaim it as Indian land.
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In 1972, he was shot and killed at age 30 by YMCA camp manager Michael Morgan after Oakes confronted him about the mistreatment of Native American children.
Since his death, the influencer has been honored by singer Magneto Dayo and the band Field Report through song. Now, Google is paying tribute to him. Check out the doodle archive to see Oakes' animated doodle.
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