Ada Deer
CSSW connection: Ada Deer received her MSW from our School in 1961, the first Native American to do so. In 1998, in recognition of her contributions to Native American advocacy and scholarship, she was inducted into our School’s Alumni Hall of Fame; and her name is on the board of donors that graces our building’s lobby.
Path to political involvement: After earning her BSW and MSW degrees and serving as a school social worker in New York and Milwaukee, Deer, a member of the Menominee Tribe in Wisconsin, entered politics at the grassroots level, becoming the spokesperson for her tribe when their federal recognition was in danger of being “terminated.” Termination of Indian tribes meant that all members would be required to live as ordinary American citizens, and the tribe would lose its right to self-government, various federal supports and protections, and most crucially, members’ rights to their land. Deer went to Washington, DC, as Menominee Tribe’s represent