Marie C. Cox (1920-2005) was a
Comanche
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...
activist who worked on legislation for Native American children. She received many accolades for her efforts including the 1974 Indian Leadership Award from the
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
and state recognition that same year as the Outstanding Citizen of Oklahoma from Governor
David Hall. She was named as an Outstanding Indian Woman of 1977 by the
North American Indian Women's Association The North American Indian Women's Association (NAIWA) is a non-profit educational and service association, which seeks to promote intertribal communications, betterment of home, family life and community, betterment of health and education, awarenes ...
, and served on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education from 1983 to 1990. In 1993, she was inducted into the
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma ...
for her work with foster children and the founding of the North American Indian Women's Association.
Early life
Marie Cerday was born on January 17, 1920, at the
Lawton, Oklahoma
Lawton is a city in and the county seat of Comanche County, in the U.S. state of Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Ce ...
Indian Hospital to Herlinda (née Portillo) and Dave Cerday. She attended the Ft. Sill Indian Boarding School and later went to
Walters High School. Cerday went on to further her education, studying at
Central State University
Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-year program for te ...
in
Edmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. The population was 94,428 according to the 2020 United States Census, making it the fifth largest cit ...
. On June 6, 1938, in Lawton, Cerday married James M. Cox. James was the grandson of
Chief
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
Quanah Parker
Quanah Parker (Comanche ''kwana'', "smell, odor") ( – February 23, 1911) was a war leader of the Kwahadi ("Antelope") band of the Comanche Nation. He was likely born into the Nokoni ("Wanderers") band of Tabby-nocca and grew up among the Kwah ...
and later served as chair of the
Comanche Nation
The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...
.
Years of activism
In 1970, Cox founded the
North American Indian Women's Association The North American Indian Women's Association (NAIWA) is a non-profit educational and service association, which seeks to promote intertribal communications, betterment of home, family life and community, betterment of health and education, awarenes ...
(NAIWA) and served as its first national president. She identified the goals of the organization as improvement of home and community, healthcare and education, and intertribal communication, as well as cultural preservation and fellowship. It was one of the first national organizations of Native American women and sought intertribal solutions for women's issues. In 1971, the organization held its first conference in
Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, followed a few months later by one in
Albuquerque
Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...
, New Mexico establishing education as its focus for the coming year. Cox served as national president of the organization through 1973.
In the early 1970s, Cox began touring Native American communities throughout the United States collecting data on the needs of Indian children. She specifically focused on institutionalized children, who were part of the
Foster Care System
Foster care is a system in which a underage, minor has been placed into a ward (law), ward, group home (Residential Child Care Community, residential child care community, Treatment centre, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-ce ...
, in
group home
A group home, congregate living facility, or care home (the latter especially in British English and Australian English) is a residence model of medical care for those with complex health needs. Traditionally, the model has been used for children ...
s, or those living in
American Indian boarding schools
American Indian boarding schools, also known more recently as American Indian residential schools, were established in the United States from the mid 17th to the early 20th centuries with a primary objective of "civilizing" or assimilating Na ...
. The study, conducted by the NAIWA and funded by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...
(BIA), was made for the U.S. Congress. In 1972, Cox served on the
Health, Education and Welfare
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is a cabinet-level executive branch department of the U.S. federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is " ...
(HEW) Department's National Action for Foster Children Committee, which evaluated the care given to children under the program. She signed the Bill of Rights for Foster Children, drafted in 1973, which was ratified by Congress and attended the White House Conference on Mental Retardation. In 1974, she received the Indian Leadership Award from the BIA for her work as chair of the National Action for Foster Children Committee, drafting the Foster Children's Bill of Rights, and her direction of studies on how the BIA handled native children's care. That same year, she was recognized by Oklahoma Governor
David Hall as the Outstanding Citizen of Oklahoma.
In 1975, Cox was a speaker in
Window Rock, Arizona
Window Rock ( nv, , ) is a census-designated place that serves as the seat of government and capital of the Navajo Nation, the largest territory in North America of a sovereign Native American nation. The capital lies within the boundaries of the ...
, at the Southwest Indian Women's Conference. More than 800 native women attended the conference, which looked at both political and cultural mechanisms that fostered discrimination against Native American women, but their goals were to empower women within their traditional tribal identity. In 1977, at a banquet hosted at the
Chilocco Indian Agricultural School
Chilocco Indian School was an agricultural school for Native Americans on reserved land in north-central Oklahoma from 1884 to 1980. It was approximately 20 miles north of Ponca City, Oklahoma and seven miles north of Newkirk, Oklahoma, near th ...
by the NAIWA, Cox was honored as the "Outstanding Indian Woman of 1977" for her work in establishing the NAIWA and with children's needs. That same year, she attended the NAIWA conference which was investigating the
sterilization of Native American women
In the 1960s and 1970s, the Indian Health Service (IHS) and collaborating physicians sustained a practice of performing sterilizations on Native Americans in the United States, Native American women, in many cases Compulsory sterilization, witho ...
by the
Indian Health Service
The Indian Health Service (IHS) is an operating division (OPDIV) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). IHS is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally-recognized Nativ ...
. Other issues examined included the provisions of the
Indian Child Welfare Act
The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA) ((), codified at Indian Child Welfare Act, (, )) is a United States federal law that governs jurisdiction over the removal of American Indian children from their families in custody, foster care and ...
, which had long been a focus for Cox.
In 1983, Cox was appointed by President
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
to succeed Nadine Chase on the National Advisory Council on Indian Education. She was reappointed in 1985, 1987, and 1989, serving until she was replaced in 1990 by
Terry Neese
Terry Neese (born December 1, 1947) is an American businesswoman and politician. She was the first woman nominated by a major political party for the seat of Lieutenant Governor of Oklahoma in 1990 and a candidate for Oklahoma's 5th congression ...
. In 1984, Cox was appointed to the board of the
Child Welfare League of America
The Child Welfare League of America (CWLA) is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that coordinates efforts for child welfare in the United States, and provides direct support to agencies that serve children and families. The organization's visio ...
and in 1988 she served as a member for the Oklahoma Indian Affairs Commission. In 1993, Cox was inducted into the
Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame was established in 1982 by Oklahoma Governor George Nigh "to honor Oklahoma women who are pioneers in their field or in a project that benefits Oklahoma; who have made a significant contribution to the State of Oklahoma ...
and in 1999 she and James were interviewed as part of the
Museum of the Great Plains Oral History Project.
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cox, Marie C.
1920 births
2005 deaths
Female Native American leaders
People from Lawton, Oklahoma
Comanche people
University of Central Oklahoma alumni
American women's rights activists
Children's rights activists
20th-century Native American women
20th-century Native Americans
Activists from Oklahoma
Native American people from Oklahoma