Dr. Lehman L. Brightman On Civil Rights Complaint

KPIX-TV news footage from January 5th 1972 at the American Indian Center on Valencia Street in San Francisco featuring scenes from a press conference with Dr. Lehman L. Brightman (1930-2017), a Sioux and Creek American Indian who founded United Native Americans Inc. (UNA) in 1968. A coalition of American Indian organizations (UNA, the American Indian Center and All Tribes Halfway House) have just filed a formal civil rights complaint charging that the California Department of Human Resources Development is not providing equal oppportunity employment rights to American Indians, despite being given $72 million in Federal funds in 1970-71 to train and hire minorities (currently only 36 of 12,169 state employees are American Indian). This complaint is asking for a 5-fold increase in American Indian employees. Dr. Brightman also quotes a 1965 report which provides details on the relative education and employment opportunities for American Indians in California. Opening graphic designed by Carrie Hawks.