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Kamala Cesar, Founder and Director of Lotus Music & Dance and 2004 Honoree Winona La Duke

2009 Honorees

Mohawk Elder & Author Tom Porter

Thomas R. Porter (Sakokweniónkwas or “the one who wins”), is a member of the Bear Clan of the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne, an Iroquois territory located on the St. Lawrence River. He is married to Alice Joe Porter who is Choctaw. He has six children and eleven grandchildren. Mr. Porter was acting Bear Clan Chief in the traditional longhouse movement, opposite the state-sanctioned Tribal Council and has served numerous positions on the Mohawk Nation of Chiefs Council for over 25 years.

Tom Porter is one of the last generation of his people to be raised as a Mohawk speaker from birth. Like his ancestors, who listened to traditional stories during the long winter months by the fire, Tom was weaned on the teachings of his great-grandparents’ and his grandparents’ generation. This unique background paved the way for him to become a champion for the revitalization of First Nations languages and traditions. Now a respected elder, he has devoted his life to educating both Native and non-Native people about the true history, culture and spirituality of the Iroquois or, as they prefer to call themselves, the Haudenosaunee. In the words of his cousin, author and award-winning journalist Doug George—Kanentiio, “He has, over the past four decades, become one of the most respected cultural teachers among the Iroquois, a spiritual leader welcome across the continent for his sincerity, wit and knowledge.”

Mr. Porter has been a nationally recognized figure in Indian Country since the 1960s when he co-founded the White Roots of Peace, a group of Iroquois Elders who toured the country sharing traditional teachings and encouraging Indians to embrace their respective Native traditions. Recognizing that Mohawk language and culture were dying out, he also co-founded the Akwesasne Freedom School for grades K-8, with a curriculum entirely in Mohawk.

Since 1993, Tom has been the founder, director and spiritual leader of the traditional Mohawk Community of Kanatsioharè:ke, located in the homeland of his ancestors, near Albany, New York. For the story of that community and how it came to be, see his previous book, Tom Sakokwenionkwas Porter: Kanatsiohareke: Traditional Mohawk Indians Return to Their Ancestral Homeland. 

In 2008, Tom Porter published the book And Grandma Said… Iroquois Teachings, in which we get to see in print a lifetime of teachings and memories, in words direct from the heart of, in Doug George’s words, “a person who has devoted his life to preserving the heritage of his Nation.” For information, please visit: http://tomporter.net.



Laura Turner Seydel, Environmentalist &
Chairman of the Captain Planet Foundation

Eco-awareness is a way of life for Laura Turner Seydel. Years of earth-friendly living and community involvement have fueled her desire to “live green.” As a national environmental activist, speaker and eco-living expert, Laura’s mission is to educate families, youth and individuals alike about the opportunities and benefits of earth-friendly living.

Her many leadership responsibilities include:  National eco-living speaker and green product advocate for Laura Turner Seydel, LLC, Chairman of the Captain Planet Foundation, which provides grants to groups conducting environmental projects with elementary, middle, and high school students, Co-founder of Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, an environmental advocacy group that works to raise public awareness of issues related to the Chattahoochee River and secure measurable improvements in its health, and Co-founder of Mothers & Others for Clean Air, an organization that raises awareness about the link between asthma and air pollution.

As an extension of her environmental dedication, Laura and her husband Rutherford built EcoManor, the first Gold Certified LEED Home (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in the Southeast. EcoManor illustrates the opportunities and benefits of eco-friendly building and energy-efficient living through a mix of progressive new products, including solar energy, geothermal heating and cooling, rain water reclamation, and in-home gray water system. Serving as an educational tool, EcoManor has reached builders, architects, designers, landscapers, vendors, educators and homeowners to promote green living, conservation, and improved residential building practices.

Laura resides in Atlanta with her husband, Rutherford and their three children, John R, 15, Vasser, 13 and Laura Elizabeth, 11.  For more information about Laura visit: www.lauraseydel.com

2008 Honorees

Jake Swamp: Founder of the Tree of Peace Society

As result of his thirty seven years experience as a sub-chief of the Mohawk Nation and international ambassador, Jake Swamp has been traveling around the world, planting "Trees of Peace" in diverse places such as Israel, Australia, South America, United Nations, Morocco, Japan, Thailand, and many colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. Through his tree planting efforts, Jake has inspired the planting of over 200 million trees. Jake continues to inspire many college students of all races and backgrounds through his extensive lecturing schedule which takes him to different universities and other speaking engagements a year.
Jake Swamp has and continues to work tirelessly for the communities of the Iroquois people by bridging cultural difference in the spirit of respectful dialogue and collective action in addressing environmental and social problems. For more information, please visit: http://www.treeofpeacesociety.info.

Xernona Clayton: Founder, President & CEO of the Trumpet Awards Foundation, Inc.

Xernona Clayton is Founder, Creator and Executive Producer of the Foundation’s Trumpet Awards.  The Trumpet Awards is a prestigious event highlighting African American accomplishments and contributions.  Initiated in 1993 by Turner Broadcasting, the Trumpet Awards has been televised annually and distributed internationally to over 185 countries around the world.

Ms. Clayton began her television career in 1967 and became the south’s first Black person to have her own television show.  The Xernona Clayton show was a regular feature on WAGA-TV, CBS affiliate in Atlanta.

Xernona Clayton was employed at Turner Broadcasting for nearly 30 years where she served as a corporate executive. Ms. Clayton was one of the highest-ranking female employees in Turner Broadcasting System.

Ms. Clayton’s dedication to the community is reflected in the many hours she spends promoting human relations through bi-racial groups devoted to improving racial understanding. For more information, please visit: http://www.trumpetfoundation.org.

2007 Honorees

Oren R. Lyons, Faithkeeper & Chief of the Turtle Clan

Oren R. Lyons is a traditional Faithkeeper and Chief of the Turtle Clan and a proud and accomplished Native American who works tirelessly on the issues concerning Indigenous peoples in the United States and the world. He is a member of the Onondaga Nation Council of Chiefs of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy, (Haudenosaunee) consisting of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida, Mohawk and Tuscarora Indian Reservations. in northern New York State. Among his accolades he has received the Ellis Island Congressional Medal of Honor, the National Audubon Award, the First Annual Earth Day International Award of the United Nations, and the Elder and Wiser Award of the Rosa Parks Institute for Human Rights. He is deeply involved with national  and international issues that affect native peoples and has represented them in many forums throughout the world, including several at the UN focusing on the rights and status of indigenous peoples, the environment and sustainable development. He is Professor of American Studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he directs the Native American Studies Program.

United States Congressman John Lewis

Congressman John Lewis is often called “one of the most courageous persons the Civil Rights Movement ever produced.” John Lewis has dedicated his life to protecting human rights, securing civil liberties, and building what he calls “The Beloved Community” in America. His dedication to the highest ethical standards and moral principles has won him the admiration of many of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the United States Congress. Sen. John McCaine (R-AZ) has said “ I have seen courage on many occasions. I can’t say I’ve seen anyone who possesses more of it, and uses it for any better purpose and any greater effect, than John Lewis.” Democratic Party Leader, Nancy Pelosi, (D-CA) Speaker of the House, has called John Lewis “the conscience of the U.S. Congress.”  Roll Call Magazine has said, “John Lewis …is a genuine American hero and moral leader who commands widespread respect in the chamber.” John Lewis is the recipient of numerous awards from eminent national and international institutions, including the Golden Plate Award given by the Academy of Excellence, the Preservation Hero Award given by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, The Capital Award of the National Council of La Raza, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Non-Violent Peace Prize, the President’s Medal of Georgetown University, the NAACP Spingarn Medal, The John F. Kennedy “Profiles in Courage” Award for lifetime achievement, and the National Education Association’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Award. The Timberland Company has developed the John Lewis Award, which honors humanitarian service and has established the John Lewis Scholarship Fund in his honor. For more information, please visit: http://johnlewis.house.gov.

2006 Honoree

Rosemary Richmond, Executive Director of the American Indian Community House

Ms. Richmond (Akwesasne Mohawk - Bear Clan) is a third generation member of New York City ’s American Indian community. She has worked for the American Indian Community House since 1975, and has been its Executive Director since 1987. Under her leadership, AICH has grown from a loose consortium of groups and individuals into its present status as a multi-faceted social support and cultural center. AICH serves the Native American Community of New York City with health counseling, education, prevention and referral programs, job training and higher education assistance, alcohol and substance abuse out-patient counseling, food, clothing and limited emergency housing assistance and the first comprehensive HIV/AIDS project in the northeast run by American Indians for American Indians. In addition to these social services, AICH houses an off-off Broadway theater, a performing arts program for Native artists of any media, and a 1,600 square foot art gallery which presents exhibitions of both modern and traditional Native American visual artists. Apart from her work at AICH,  Ms. Richmond was a founding member of the Native American Council of NYC, an organization formed to bring Native social issues to the attention of the general public during the events around 1992, and has served on the Board of Directors of the American Indian Health Care Association, a former national organization of Urban Indian health care providers; is a founding member of the Thunderbird American Indian Dancers, an  organization that raises scholarship funds for American Indian students; and has served on the Democratic National Committee’s American Indian Advisory Council. Currently she serves on New York City’s Workforce Investment Board. For more information, please visit: http://www.aich.org.

2005 Honorees

Dr. Elizabeth Sackler, Founder & President of the American Indian Repatriation Foundation

Dr. Elizabeth Sackler is a public historian, arts activist, and American Indian advocate. Dr. Sackler is the founder and president of the American Indian Ritual Object Repatriation Foundation (AIRORF), CEO and President of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, and President of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation. Dr. Sackler sits on the National Advisory Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), Washington, D.C., is on the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Museum, New York City, and formerly sat on the board of the New Mexico Statuary Hall Foundation for the National Statuary Hall Collection at the Capitol, Washington, D.C.

Dr. Sackler lectures at universities and colleges in Manhattan. At the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the Stern School of Business at New York University she addressed the legal, ethical, and moral debates in the museum and art market worlds. She has authored numerous articles for scholarly journals and national magazines on cultural genocide; her chapter, “Calling for a Code of Ethics in the Indian Art Market,” is in Ethics and the Visual Arts (Elaine A. King and Gail Levin, editors, Allworth Press, 2006). Dr. Sackler has delivered papers on many panels over the last two decades, including: “Raising the Bar: Searching for an Ethical Morality” at the National Museum of American Indian; “Ethics, Morality, and the Cultural Genocide of the American Indian Peoples” at the New School; and “The Museum’s Role in the Repatriation of American Indian Cultural Material” at the Guggenheim Museum.

As President of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Foundation, Dr. Sackler was responsible for gifting the iconic feminist masterpiece, The Dinner Party by Judy Chicago, to the Brooklyn Museum in 2002, and establishing its permanent installation venue, the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art (EASCFA) at the Brooklyn Museum. With this endeavor, Dr. Sackler has realized her vision of highlighting women’s contributions in all fields throughout history and creating a space to share ideas and the ideals of feminism: equality, equity, and justice for all peoples.

Honored in 1999 by the Yurok Tribal Council, Dr. Sackler has continued to receive awards for her work in repatriation and in the museum world: In 2002, she received the “Women in the Arts Award” from the Brooklyn Museum of Art Community Committee; in 2003, she was named one of “21 Leaders of the 21st Century” from Women’s eNews; in 2004, she received the “President’s Award” from the Women’s Caucus for Art; in 2005, she was named “Native American of the Year” from Drums along the Hudson; in 2006, she received the prestigious “Distinguished Service to the Visual Arts Award” from ArtTable; in 2007, she received the “Women of Power and Influence Award” from NOW-NYC and the “Visionary Woman Award” from Moore College of Art in Philadelphia; and in 2008, she received the “Art to Life Award” from A.I.R. Gallery and Art and Living magazine.
Dr. Sackler lives in New York City, is the proud mother of two, Laura Louisell and Michael Sackler-Berner, and is the happy grandmother of Aidan and Madeleine. For more information, please visit: http://www.repatriationfoundation.org.

Clay Hiles, Executive Director of the Hudson River Foundation

Since 1986, Clay Hiles has been the Executive Director of the Hudson River Foundation for Science and Environmental Research.  The mission of the Hudson River Foundation (HRF) is to make science integral to decision-making with regard to the Hudson River and its watershed and to support competent stewardship of the River and its watershed.  

 This purpose is pursued through support of scientific research; communication to expand knowledge about the river among the scientific community, policy makers, and the public at large; initiatives to enhance management of the Hudson ecosystem; and education about the River and physical improvements to the riverfront.

The Foundation was established in 1981 under the terms of an agreement among environmental groups, government regulatory agencies, and utility companies seeking the constructive resolution of a long series of legal controversies concerning the environmental impacts of power plants on the Hudson River.  Its principal endowment, the Hudson River Fund, was created in recognition of the critical need for an independent institution to sponsor scientific research and education programs that would contribute to the development of sound public policy concerning the River's ecosystem.  The Fund has enabled the Foundation to award nearly 500 grants totaling approximately $30 million through 2004.

In addition, HRF has developed a significant internal program designed to bring scientific understanding to bear on public policy.  This function, which includes an internal research program, addresses the interface between science and management of the Hudson’s ecological resources.  Most of the internal program is linked to two major, well-established management initiatives, the federally sponsored New York/ New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program (HEP) focused on the lower River, New York Harbor, and the New York Bight, and the New York State Hudson River Estuary Management Program (HREMP), which is primarily concerned with the rest of the estuary.  Both programs have produced final management strategies that are now in the implementation phase.

HRF's mission was enhanced in 1985 by the establishment of the Hudson River Improvement Fund (HRIF) within the Foundation through an agreement with New York State which provided the initial HRIF endowment of $1.5 million.  HRIF’s purpose is to support projects (especially those requiring capital construction, development, or improvement) to enhance public use and enjoyment of the River's natural, scenic and cultural resources.  Since its inception, the Improvement Fund has awarded nearly 500 grants totaling more than $4.5 million.

At the end of 1994, the Foundation established a third fund, the New York City Environmental Fund (NYCEF), to foster "restoration, care, public enjoyment of, and education about New York City's natural resources."  An initial endowment of $5 million was provided by the Consolidated Edison Company under the terms of an agreement resolving a series of natural resources damage claims by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.  To date, NYCEF has awarded over 500 grants, totaling more than $7.0 million.

Since his graduation from Yale College and Columbia University School of Law, Clay’s professional career and civic activities have been committed to protection of the environment and the advancement of civil rights.

Clay has worked on voting rights litigation for the National Lawyers Committee for  Civil Rights Under Law, the development of legal services programs for working people at District Council 37 in New York City, and prisoners’ rights litigation at the Legal Aid Society of New York.  From 1979 to 1986, he was Executive Director of the New York City Criminal Justice Agency.  He has served as President of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater and on the boards of numerous other organizations concerned with the environment and social justice.  He is the past Chairman of The Correctional Association of New York and the Osborne Association. For more information, please visit: http://www.hudsonriver.org.

2004 Honoree

Winona LaDuke, Author & Founding Director of the White Earth Land Recovery Project

Winona LaDuke, is an Anishinaabeg (Ojibwe) enrolled member of the Mississippi Band of Anishinaabeg and is the mother of three children. Winona is the Program Director of Honor the Earth and Founding Director of White Earth Land Recovery Project.  Leading Honor the Earth she provides vision and leadership for the organization’s Regranting Program and its Strategic Initiatives.  In addition, she has worked for two decades on the land issues of the White Earth Reservation, including litigation, over land rights in the 1980's.  In 1989, she received the Reebok Human Rights Award, with which in part she began the White Earth Land Recovery Project. In 1994, Winona was nominated by Time Magazine as one of America's fifty most promising leaders under forty years of age, and has also been awarded the Thomas Merton Award in 1996, the Ann Bancroft Award, Ms. Woman of the Year Award (with the Indigo Girls in 1997), the Global Green Award, and numerous other honors. A graduate of Harvard and Antioch Universities, she has written extensively on Native American and environmental issues. Her books include: Last Standing Woman (fiction), All Our Relations (non-fiction), In the Sugarbush (Children's), and The Winona LaDuke Reader. For more information, please visit: http://nativeharvest.com.