MINNEAPOLIS — A beloved leader in the Native community is being remembered after passing away over the weekend.
Frank Paro was heavily involved in the American Indian Movement and fought for the rights of his people. Paro's friends say they will continue to dedicate themselves to finishing what he helped start.
He was serving as co-chair for AIM's grant governing board as well as a board chair for the interpretive center in Minneapolis.
Lisa Bellanger and Spike Moss say Paro will be remembered for his dedication after he died Saturday from complications related to health.
"He risked his life for freedom," said Moss. "He was determined, brave."
"He's always willing to help," said Bellanger.
While Frank didn't take to the spotlight much, he was the right-hand man for leaders of the American Indian Movement, which began in Minneapolis in 1968. Community members were tired of discrimination, and a fire was lit underneath them.
"It was a very tumultuous time," said Moss, who helped start The Way, a nonprofit dedicated to tackling disparities the Black community faces. "And between the two communities, we were getting entirely too many police brutality cases. All of the things that mattered, they were being denied. Both nationalities and the mistreatment of us brought us together."
A group of friends and colleagues of Frank's gathered on the corner of Franklin Avenue and 15th Avenue to burn a fire. Bellanger explained it was traditional protocol to have a fire for four days when someone makes their transition to the next world.
"It's a beacon for them," she explained.
Frank kept the fire going decades later for AIM, which still fights for equity. Now, they're keeping the fire going for Frank.
His service will be on Sunday at the Minneapolis American Indian Center.
"Frank definitely has been instrumental in just keeping the community safe," said Mary LaGarde, the executive director of MAIC. "He has done so much."