Elouise Cobell Day
Governor Steve Bullock proclaimed November 5th as Elouise Cobell Day. Elouise Pepion Cobell was born in 1945. Along with the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), she led the largest class action lawsuit (1996-2016) against the federal government for the mismanagement of money for lands that the government held in Trust for individual Native Americans across the U.S. Elouise was Treasurer for the Blackfeet Tribe for over a decade. She was determined to right a century of wrongs and reconcile years of injustice. After 15 years of litigation, President Barak Obama announced the $3.4 billion Cobell Settlement. Prior to her passing, Elouise called the UM-PFNAC "a glorious reality - for a better Montana." She urged students to stand up for their rights and "not take anything for granted."