Taking cues from her strong-willed mother, Ada Deer did not sit quietly and watch life pass her by.
"She passed her non-conformist gene on to me," said Deer, the assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of the Interior-Indian Affairs. "I'm now 61 years old and I'm still working on my mother's agenda."
Deer spoke candidly last night to about 100 people in Rackham Amphitheatre as part of Native American Heritage Month. The event was sponsored by the Native American Programs Task Force.
Highlighting her experiences as a lobbyist, social worker, congressional candidate and member of President Clinton's Cabinet, Deer interjected anecdotes as if talking to an old friend.
The nonconformist in Deer is what sparked her to drop out of law school in the early 1970s to lobby Congress in defense of Native American rights.
The spirit of determination that made Deer's lobbying efforts successful two decades ago is still evident today.
Deer, who is part English-Scottish and part Menominee Indian, spoke of being chosen as the first woman to lead her tribe. "The men and the women thought, 'Well we're not so sure about this because the tribe has always been run by men,'" she said.
But Deer responded to the criticism with quick wit. "I said, 'Well, maybe that's part of the problem.'"
Deer said her job with the U.S. government has thrilled and discouraged her. "In the past I've had the opportunity to represent our country at very high levels," she said.
But Deer also noted that obstacles still exist. "The reason it's frustrating, among other things, is that we don't have enough money," she said.
Deer is currently the highest-ranking Native American in the federal government. She offered words of encouragement to the many young people gathered in the auditorium. "I want to encourage each and every one of you who may have a difficult course to keep the goal in mind," she said, after sharing tales of the hardships she had with statistics courses as a college student.
Deer said President Clinton's 'bridge to the 21st century' is a good start to improving conditions in the country. "But if we don't invest in ... health, education and housing, all of us are going to suffer," she said.
Students felt Deer's comments were powerful and insightful.
"She was really inspiring ... she kind of demonstrated the range and scope of what a social worker can do," said School of Social Work first-year student Chandra Sivakumar.
"I thought it was very good, very interesting," said LSA junior Matt Kantor. "I had never heard her speak before, so I wasn't exactly sure what it would be like."