The American Indian Movement (AIM) was founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1968 by Dennis Banks, Clyde Bellecourt, Eddie Benton-Banai, and George Mitchell Russell Means later become one of its most visible spokesmen.
———The organization grew out of the civil rights struggles of the late 1960s; its original focus was to protect the rights of urban native people faced with poverty and police oppression. AIM evolved into an organization that called attention to a wide range of issues important to the native community; economic independence and control over native natural resources, the political autonomy of tribal reservations, the revitalization of traditional culture and spirituality, and the education of young Indian children. The latter often takes the form of challenges to the public school system to employ more native teachers, abandon stereotypical "Indian" Portrayals in American history courses, and consult with elders over curriculum issues.
———AIM has led several national protests including the occupation of Alcatraz Island (1969-71); the 1972 March on Washington to protest treaty violations, which resulted in the takeover of BIA headquarters; the 1973 occupation of the town of Wounded Knee, South Dakota; the 1978 "Longest Walk" from San Francisco to Washington to focus attention on the plight of the Black Hills to press demands for this sacred area to be returned to the Lakota people. More recently, AIM has led national efforts that seek to remove inappropriate names of native origin from sports teams.

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