Category: Activist / page 21

Zitkala-Ša
Zitkala-Ša


Zitkala-Ša, also known as Gertrude Simmons Bonnin, was a Native American suffragist, writer and activist. Born Gertie Eveline Felker on February 22, 1876 near the Yankton Agency in Dakota Territory, Zitkala-Ša took her mother’s surname as a young woman and changed her name to Gertrude Simmons. When her sister-in-law accused her of abandoning her Native American heritage, she took the name Zitkala-Ša – which translates into English as “Red Bird” – and used it primarily in her writing, her work with the General Federation of Women’s Clubs, and personal correspondence. […]