LaDuke in Women's Hall of Fame

Pioneer Editorial:  High honor for Winona LaDukeWinona LaDuke, 48, who lives on the White Earth Reservation and is a frequent visitor to Bemidji to speak about environmental issues, will be one of nine American women inductees to the National Women’s Hall of Fame, founded in historic Seneca Falls, N.Y., the site of the first Women’s Rights Convention in 1848. They join 217 women who have been inducted into the Hall since 1969.

LaDuke’s credentials are solid as not only a role model for American Indians but also as a successful woman. Billed an environmental activist, LaDuke is also a successful businesswoman, a politician, a grass-roots organizer and a spokeswoman for a number of causes, including protecting native wild rice from genetic research which may harm a crop that has great spiritual meaning to American Indian culture.