Ramona Bennett BillRamona Spirithawk Bennett Bill is an Puyallup leader, civil rights activist, and former Tribal Chairwoman. She earned an MA in Edication from the University of Puget Sound in 1981, and received an honorary Doctorate of Public Affairs from the school n 2000. She is known for her trailblazing work on social welfare and Indian fishing rights, co-founding the Survival of American Indians Association in 1964. Her organizing work helped to secure the Boldt decision (United States V. State of Washington), which affirmed tribal sovereignty over fisheries. Bennett also co-founded the Local Indian Child Welfare Act Committee, which created a model for the federal Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978, upheld by the Supreme Court in 2023. In the 1980s, she worked at the Wa-He-Lut Indian School and with the Rainboe Youth and Family Services. She was awarded with the Enduring Spirit Award from the Native Action Network in 2003 and the Bernie Whitebear award in 2018. This is her first book. Read More Read Less