The American Indian Services (AIS) records primarily consist of board meeting minutes, legal documents, newspaper clippings, and photographs. While the collection contains material covering 1972 to 2016, the bulk of it documents the organization from 1994 to 2013. An Administrative folder contains new Board Member orientation packet as well as management reports. Four folders within the collection contain minutes from the AIS Board of Directors quarterly meeting from 1994 to 2016. The minutes discuss the various projects taken on by the organization as well as discussion of political events.
There are multiple folders covering legal action taken by the AIS protecting rights of Native Americans. Each folder covers a different lawsuit or legal action the AIS took part in. Folders include background, correspondence, drafts of legal records, and other documentation. The dates of these events range from the 1990s to the 2000s and cover disputes of how local, state, and national governments handle American Indian affairs. These include issues ranging from health care coverage to protection of local historical locations.
The collection contains numerous newspaper clippings collected by the organization. The articles span the years 2000 to 2008 and come from newspapers such as The Detroit News, The News-Herald, The Detroit Free Press, as well as local and more topical news sources in the area. Articles cover Native American related stories in Southeast Michigan and document the work of American Indian Services Executive Director Fay Givens. Folders with photographs from the 1990s and 2000s are grouped by event. One folder contains brochures and flyers from the organization advertising American Indian Services events.
In 1971, Harry Fay Command founded the American Indian Services (AIS) in the Southeast Michigan, as an extension of the Thunderbird Alcoholics Anonymous Club. The organization offered services to Native Americans battling addiction as a result of being pressured by the government to move out of reservations and into major cities through the Indian Relocation Act of 1956. While early on the AIS focused on combating alcoholism amongst Native Americans, as the organization grew, it began offering adult education opportunities and organized cultural activities. In 1994 Command retired and Sara Fay Givens took over as AIS Executive Director. In order to develop the organization and continue assisting Native Americans in the area, Givens oversaw development of case management, food programs, and therapy. In addition to serving as the Executive Director, Givens advocated for Native American rights on the national and international level. During the 2000s and 2010s, the AIS put great effort toward improving legislation aimed at Native Americans.
