The Imprint of One Woman: Veda Stone's Influence on Wisconsin Native Americans

Abstract

This paper discusses the life and work of Veda Stone, a Native American advocate from Wisconsin. During the 1960s and 1970s, Native Americans around the country demanded self-determination and better education from the United States government. Veda Stone brought the national protests to Northwest Wisconsin in hopes of bettering the lives of Native Americans. Beginning in the 1960s and lasting until her death in 1996, Stone developed numerous organizations and programs designed to help educate the state?s Native Americans. Stone?s influence over individual Native American students who attended college was profound and many Native Americans still think of her fondly. This research paper emphasizes Stone?s work with Native Americans and analyzes how her influence affected those living in the state of Wisconsin throughout the second half of the twentieth century.