Programs > John Trudell in Olympia
John Trudell in Olympia
Give Love, Give Life!!
In cooperation with KAOS 89.3FM, Olympia Community Radio, world renowned Indigenous musician, actor, poet and activist, John Trudell appeared Thursday May 1st in the Longhouse at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA.
Willie Nelson, Jackson Browne, and John Trudell have initiated the 'Give Love Give Life Benefit Tours' to create a venue for 'National Health Insurance Coverage for the Women and Children of America- NOW'.
Today, in the United States , one woman will be diagnosed with a gynecologic cancer every seven minutes. That's over 200 women who will be diagnosed just today and close to 80,000 women this year. These diseases will kill 30,000 women this year alone.
“How high does the body count have to go before we all this an epidemic?” asked John Trudell. ”In a coherent thinking society, we would recognize there is a cancer epidemic in this country. In a clear thinking society, we would take responsibility rather than remain in denial about the seriousness of this issue.”
The Give Love, Give Life benefit tours are also part of a growing movement to build awareness and educate the public about women's health issues in general, and ovarian and gynecologic cancers specifically. Just this past year, a coalition of women's health groups succeeded in securing signage of legislation called “Johanna's Law,” a bill to fund education and outreach about the symptoms of gynecologic cancer.
About John Trudell
John Trudell is an acclaimed poet, national recording artist, actor and activist whose international following reflects the universal language of his words, work and message.
Trudell (Santee Sioux) was a spokesperson for the Indian of All Tribes occupation of Alcatraz Island from 1969 to 1971. He then worked with the American Indian Movement (AIM), serving as Chairman of AIM from 1973 to 1979. In February of 1979, a fire of unknown origin killed Trudell's wife, three children and mother-in-law. It was through this horrific tragedy that Trudell began to find his voice as an artist and poet, writing, in his words, “to stay connected to this reality.”
In 1982, Trudell began recording his poetry to traditional Native music and in 1983 he released his debut album Tribal Voice on his own Peace Company label. Trudell then teamed up with the late legendary Kiowa guitarist Jesse Ed Davis. Together, they recorded three albums during the 1980's. The first of these, AKA Graffiti Man, was released in 1986 and dubbed the best album of the year by Bob Dylan. AKA Graffiti Man served early notice of Trudell's singular ability to express fundamental truths through a unique mix of poetry, Native music, blues and rock.
Since that time, Trudell has released six more albums plus a digitally re-mastered collection of his early Peace Company cassettes. His latest CD, Bone Days, was executive produced by Academy Award winning actress Angelina Jolie and released on the Daemon Records label in 2002. In addition to his music career, Trudell has played roles in a number of feature films, including Thunderheart and Smoke Signals. He most recently played Coyote in Hallmark's made for television movie, Dreamkeeper.