Michael Trujillo (?-1989), also referred to as Miguel Trujillo, was instrumental to the case ''Trujillo v. Garley'' in 1948; before the case, New Mexico, like many other states, had a ruling that "Indians not taxed" were not legally allowed to vote. With the case Miguel successfully challenged this ruling.
Early life
Trujillo grew up at
Isleta Pueblo
Pueblo of Isleta ( tix, Shiewhibak , kjq, Dîiw'a'ane ; nv, Naatoohó ) is an unincorporated community and Tanoan pueblo in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States, originally established in the . The Southern Tiwa name of the pueblo ...
. His mother, Juanita Jaramillo Trujillo, was widowed when he was young. She was left on her own to raise Miguel and her other son, Bartolo. Despite his family's pleas for him to drop out of school and return to the pueblo to help his family, Miguel attended th
Albuquerque Indian Schooland then the
Haskell Institute in
Lawrence, Kan. Eventually, he earned a bachelor's degree from the
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico (UNM; es, Universidad de Nuevo México) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Founded in 1889, it is the state's flagship academic institution and the largest by enrollment, with over 25,400 ...
.
He went on to serve in the
US Marines
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
during World War II.
Family
Miguel Trujillo married to Ruchanda Paisano and had two children who went into the field of medicine, a daughter,
Josephine Waconda, and a son, Dr. Michael Trujillo, the director of 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 ...
under President
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
.
Native American vote in New Mexico
Prior to 1948, Native Americans living in
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
were disenfranchised. It was until after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
that the returning veteran Miguel Trujillo started a legal and political campaign to advocate for the voice of Native Americans until those rights were extended. Miguel, after returning as a Marine after the war, confronted the harsh reality that although he was a citizen and veteran, he was not allowed to vote in the country in which he had served. Miguel was turned down by the county registrar Eloy Garley when he tried to register. Miguel sued him in the court case of ''Trujillo v. Garley'', decided by a three-judge panel 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 ...
. At the time, New Mexico, like many other states, had a ruling that "Indians not taxed' were not legally allowed to vote. The case successfully challenged this ruling.
See also
''
Harrison v. Laveen
''Harrison v. Laveen'', 67 Ariz. 337, 196 P.2d 456 (1948), also referred to ''Harrison et al. v. Laveen'' and ''Harrison and Austin v. Laveen'', was a court case decided before the Arizona Supreme Court, the state supreme court, highest state cour ...
''
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trujillo, Michael
Year of birth missing
1989 deaths
Native Americans' rights activists
Pueblo of Isleta people
Educators from New Mexico
20th-century Native Americans
Laguna Pueblo people