"Cecilia Fire Thunder lost her gallant effort to safeguard a piece of social justice for women in her home state of South Dakota, so she has taken her crusade on the road.

The former chairwoman of the Oglala Sioux will be a link in a human chain encircling the Pima County Superior Court building this afternoon, joining more than 200 other activists hoping to bring attention to a socio-political climate that feeds a national epidemic of domestic violence.

"The attacks on human rights - on a woman's right to choose, on same-sex marriage - are factors in the domestic violence problem," said Julie Johnston of the Brewster Center, a Tucson-based domestic violence prevention program that is organizing the rally.

"Domestic violence is about power and control. It's about one person making another person do something they don't want to do. There are a lot of the same principles revolving around limiting a woman's right to choose and demanding that people be married to get certain rights."

Fire Thunder's recent experiences are a case study in how hard it has become in America to stand up against those who seek legislative control over others."

Get the Story:
C.T. Revere: South Dakota activist continues her stand in Tucson (The Tucson Citizen 10/5)

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