LaDonna Harris

LaDonna Harris
Ms. LaDonna Harris (right) meets with her Native American supporters in Oklahoma
Born	(1931-02-26) February 26, 1931 (age 86) Temple, Oklahoma
Nationality	American
Occupation	Comanche social activist
Known for	EasyRiders June 1985 issue
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Senator Fred R. Harris
Children	Kathryn Harris (now Tijerina), Byron Harris, Laura Harris, Parents William Crawford and Lilly Tabbytite

Kathryn Harris (now Tijerina), Byron Harris, Laura Harris,

LaDonna Vita Tabbytite Harris (born February 26, 1931) is a Comanche Native American social activist and politician from Oklahoma. She is the founder and president of Americans for Indian Opportunity. Harris was a vice presidential candidate for the Citizens Party in the United States presidential election, 1980 alongside Barry Commoner.

LaDonna Harris, President of Americans for Indian Opportunity (AIO), is a statesman and national leader. She has been a consistent and ardent advocate on behalf of Tribal America. In addition, she continues her activism in the areas of civil rights, environmental protection, the women’s movement and world peace.

Harris was raised by her maternal grandparents in Indian country on a farm near the small town of Walters, Oklahoma during the Great Depression. Harris began her public service as the wife of U.S. Senator Fred Harris. From the 1970s to the present, she has presided over AIO, which advances, from an Indigenous worldview, the cultural, political and economic rights of Indigenous peoples in the U.S. and around the world. She helped found some of today’s leading national Indian organizations including the National Indian Housing Council, Council of Energy Resource Tribes, National Tribal Environmental Council, and National Indian Business Association.

She has been appointed to many Presidential Commissions, including being recognized by Vice President Al Gore, in 1994, as a leader in the area of telecommunications in his remarks at the White House Tribal Summit. She was a founding member of Common Cause and the National Urban Coalition and is a spokesperson against poverty and social injustice. As an advocate for women’s rights, she was a founder of the National Women's Political Caucus.

In 1980, as the Vice Presidential nominee on the Citizens Party ticket with Barry Commoner, Harris added environmental issues to the national debate and future presidential campaigns. She was an original member of Global Tomorrow Coalition and the U.S. Representative to the OAS Inter-American Indigenous Institute, and VNESCO. She is an honorary Member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.