REMARKS AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY BY ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC HOLDER
AT THE WHITE HOUSE TRIBAL NATIONS CONFERENCE

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Good morning – and thank you all for such a warm welcome. I want to thank David [Gipp] for those kind words. And I’d particularly like to thank Secretary [Sally] Jewell and her colleagues at the Department of the Interior for hosting this important Conference.

It’s a pleasure to join them, President [Barack] Obama, my fellow Cabinet members, and leaders throughout the Administration in welcoming such a distinguished group to Washington. And it’s a privilege to stand with so many good friends, passionate advocates, dedicated tribal leaders, and essential Indian Country partners in reinforcing the ties that bind us to one another; renewing our commitment to working – with mutual trust and mutual respect – to address shared challenges; and reaffirming our dedication to fulfilling the great promise of our government’s relationships with sovereign tribes.

I want to personally commend every participant in this year’s Tribal Nations Conference for taking the time to be here – and moving our nation closer to its most treasured ideals: of equality, opportunity, and justice under law. Especially in recent years, countless tribal leaders – both in and beyond this room – have stepped to the forefront of our efforts to preserve cultural values, to enforce treaty obligations, and to secure the rights and benefits to which all American Indians and Alaska Natives must always be entitled.

Together, through many generations, you and your predecessors have faced down tremendous adversity – standing up to those who once sought to terminate the federal government’s relationships with tribes. You’ve galvanized support for the rights of American Indians to maintain tribal governments – and to have a seat at the table before major reforms are enacted. You’ve mobilized tribal nations to win passage of long-overdue laws not simply to regulate tribal affairs, but to allow all Native peoples to fulfill their own promise and chart their own paths. As the ranks of your partners have grown, you’ve raised awareness about obstacles to tribal sovereignty. And – with the assistance and support of public servants like my distinguished predecessor, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy – you’ve ushered in a new era of tribal self-determination that is now half a century old, and growing stronger every day.

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