Environment | National

White House honors the late Billy Frank with Medal of Freedom

Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Billy Frank Jr. speaks as Larry Echo Hawk, the former head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, listens. Photo from Facebook

The late treaty rights activist Billy Frank Jr. will receive a posthumous honor at the White House next week.

Frank, who died in May 2014 at the age of 83, dedicated his entire life to advancing the rights of tribes in the Pacific Northwest. His activism, which started when he was arrested at the age of 14 for fishing, led to the historic Boldt decision that confirmed the validity of treaties signed by the United States in the late 1800s.

Frank, who was a member of the Nisqually Tribe, continued his efforts by serving as chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission for more than three decades. He provided a critical voice on water, salmon and environmental issues and he inspired generations of established and emerging leaders across the country.

"I think of him every day in just about everything I do," said Fawn Sharp, the president of the Quinault Nation in Washington. "He walked with giants but he knew no strangers. His comprehension of the natural world and the need for each of us to do all we can to protect his precious salmon for children yet to be born was so very memorable. We will never see his like again, yet literally thousands of people are inspired to follow his example."

Billy Frank Jr., 1931-2014. Photo from Facebook

Frank's legacy will be elevated to a new level next Tuesday as President Barack Obama hands out the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 17 people. The award is the nation's highest civilian honor.

“My Dad was a man who won many awards and honors, and he would have been humbled by this great honor," said his son, William Frank III, who serve as vice chairman of the Nisqually Tribe. "But all the great things he did, throughout his life, were done for the good of his people and for the living heritage of our ancestors. He stood up, tall and strong, against the oppression our people faced, and went to jail for it many times."

"My Dad was a warrior," Frank added. "He was a wise and gifted leader. He was a fisherman.”

The honor comes as Congress moves forward on a bill to rename a wildlife refuge in Billy Frank's honor. The report for H.R.2270, the Billy Frank Jr. Tell Your Story Act, was approved on Monday and the bill is ready for action on the House floor.

The city of Bellingham, Washington, installed the first signs for Billy Frank Jr. Street on November 16, 2015. The roadway was formerly known as "Indian Street." Photo from Northwest Treaty Tribes / Facebook

If H.R.2270 becomes law, the Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge will be known as the Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. The measure also establishes the Medicine Creek Treaty National Historic Site to mark the signing of the 1854 Treaty of Medicine Creek, which Frank fought to protect.

"When visitors come to the wildlife refuge, I want them to sense the spirit of Billy Frank Jr. and the work of all of the tribes to defend and preserve our beautiful land and resources," Rep. Denny Heck (D-Washington) said in a press release in May. "Without that context, the background and history of our area gets lost. This is a way to preserve not just the refuge, but the stories surrounding it."

Members of Frank's family and representatives of the Nisqually Tribe are expected to attend the November 24 ceremony at the White House. It marks the third time Obama has bestowed the President Medal of Freedom on a prominent tribal citizen since taking office.

Last year, activist Suzan Shown Harjo, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, was recognized for her leadership on repatriation, cultural preservation, sacred site and offensive mascots. In 2009, Joe Medicine Crow, a historian and veteran from the Crow Nation of Montana, received the award.

“I look forward to presenting these 17 distinguished Americans with our nation’s highest civilian honor," Obama said on Monday of the latest recipients. "From public servants who helped us meet defining challenges of our time to artists who expanded our imaginations, from leaders who have made our union more perfect to athletes who have inspired millions of fans, these men and women have enriched our lives and helped define our shared experience as Americans.”

Biographical information from the White House follows:

Billy Frank, Jr. (posthumous)
Billy Frank, Jr. was a tireless advocate for Indian treaty rights and environmental stewardship, whose activism paved the way for the “Boldt decision,” which reaffirmed tribal co-management of salmon resources in the state of Washington. Frank led effective “fish-ins,” which were modeled after sit-ins of the civil rights movement, during the tribal “fish wars” of the 1960s and 1970s. His magnetic personality and tireless advocacy over more than five decades made him a revered figure both domestically and abroad. Frank was the recipient of many awards, including the Martin Luther King, Jr. Distinguished Service Award for Humanitarian Achievement. Frank left in his wake an Indian Country strengthened by greater sovereignty and a nation fortified by his example of service to one’s community, his humility, and his dedication to the principles of human rights and environmental sustainability.