NASHVILLE—On Saturday, Sept.13, the Indigenous Peoples Coalition held a birthday observance for celebrated Indigenous activist Leonard Peltier. The event was held at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville, a center of progressive gatherings in the city. Peltier’s birthday was the day before, Sept. 12.
A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Peltier held the distinction of being the longest incarcerated Native activist/political prisoner in U.S. history. He was unjustly and illegally imprisoned for almost five decades—49 years and two months behind bars. This year, he marked his first birthday outside prison walls in nearly half-a-century.
He was convicted in 1977 on spurious evidence and tainted testimony regarding the 1975 slayings of two FBI agents on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota and sentenced to two consecutive life terms. After his initial conviction, the government amended its claim during an appeal to the charge that Peltier “aided and abetted” in the deaths of the federal agents. Peltier continued to be imprisoned on the lesser charge.
In February 2025, President Joe Biden, in the last 14 minutes of his term, commuted Peltier’s sentence, and he was released on Feb. 18 from federal prison in Florida. He was then flown to his home reservation in North Dakota. He is confined to his home on the Turtle Mountain Reservation.
The restrictions of home confinement are very circumscribed. To go to the post office, for instance, Peltier must notify his “handler” and after returning home has to call the “handler” again. If he wants to travel 100 miles or more beyond the boundaries of the Turtle Mountain Nation for medical reasons or religious ceremonies, Peltier has to get a pass from Washington, D.C.
The birthday celebration in Nashville began with an announcement of the latest information from the International Leonard Peltier Defense Committee that Peltier had received cataract surgery and new teeth, was attending ceremonies, and receiving visitors from around the world.
It was also announced that Peltier’s attorney, Kevin Sharp, had moved from Nashville to California, otherwise he would have attended the celebration. There was a large birthday cake emblazoned with the words, “Happy 81st Birthday, Leonard Peltier.”
Birthday conversation at the assembly centered on a number of topics, including Tribal sovereignty, the recent Supreme Court decision affirming the supposed legality of racial profiling; the need for the removal of Trump; the ICE killing of a migrant resident in Chicago; the killing of ultra–conservative Charlie Kirk; and how to reach out to young white people who have been impacted by racist ideology.
The assembly concluded with a birthday song and group chants of “Happy Birthday, Leonard” with wishes for many happy returns.
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