Turtle Talk

3rd Annual Women of Color Community Conference

February 9, 2022gabrielagendreau

3rd Annual Conference Session Information

View the full schedule information here.

Friday, February 11, 2022 | 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (EST) | Virtual (via Zoom) | Register at this link: https://bit.ly/3annualWOCC

WOCC Conference Welcome

9:00 AM-9:20 AM (EST) | Zoom

WOCC Recognition Ceremony & Networking

3:15 PM (EST) | Zoom

Session # 1: Fairness is false: Find confidence in your lane!

Friday, February 11, 2022 | 9:30 AM-10:20 AM (EST) | Zoom (must register for Zoom info)

Session Description: Sometimes we often lose opportunities to be great by expecting things to be fair. This talk will inspire you to be great in ways other people can’t.

Speaker: Nekeyta Brunson

Speaker Bio: Nekeyta Brunson is a wife, business owner of Uncovered, LLC and homeschool mom of 4. Native of Flint Michigan, she has had many obstacles and hurdles to cross. One of her biggest hurdles that held her back has now become a growing nonprofit.

Session # 2: Academic Sisters in the Movement to Decolonize the Ivory Tower

Friday, February 11, 2022 | Session Time 10:30 AM – 11:20 AM (EST) | Zoom (must register for Zoom info)

Speaker: Wenona Singel

Speaker Bio: Wenona Singel is an Associate Professor of Law and Associate Director of the Indigenous Law & Policy Center at Michigan State University College of Law in East Lansing, Michigan. She recently completed a two-year leave of absence from MSU to fulfill an appointment as Deputy Legal Counsel and Advisor for Tribal Affairs for Governor Gretchen Whitmer. While working for the Governor’s Office, Wenona advised the Governor on all aspects of tribal-state relations, and she was responsible for advising the Governor on issues related to the Flint water crisis, the environment, natural resources, and gaming. At MSU, Wenona teaches and publishes in the areas of Property, Federal Indian Law, and Natural Resources Law. She is a member of the American Law Institute and an Associate Reporter for the Restatement of the Law of American Indians. She also received an appointment by President Barack Obama to the Board of the Saint Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, a position she held for five years. She received an A.B. from Harvard College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Wenona is a citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, and she is married to Matthew Fletcher, with whom she has two sons named Owen and Emmett.

Session #3: Radical Rest: A Revolutionary Act for Women Leaders of Color

Friday, February 11, 2022 | 1:30 PM-2:20 PM (EST) | Zoom (must register for Zoom info)

Session Description: Transformative leaders who are protecting our future through their commitment to our collective freedom need a break! Wellness is a critical part of any activism. Taking purposeful time to rejuvenate is paramount if we wish to be effective change agents. During this talk, we will explore myriad reasons women leaders need to rest and discuss ways to restore. We’ll offer practical wellness tips, leadership advice, and research on creating brave and vulnerable spaces for women of color to find rest.

Speaker: Dr. Rema Vassar

Speaker Bio: Rema Vassar, PhD was elected to the Board of Trustees for an eight-year term that began January 1, 2021. Dr. Vassar earned her doctorate from UCLA in 2009 and currently serves as an Associate Professor in the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University. She is the Morris Endowed Chair leading The Leadership Talent Development Project in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Dr. Rema teaches Leadership and was named Faculty of the Year in the College of Education in 2020. The author of many scholarly journal articles, her research interests include school and community relationships with an emphasis on parent-school partnerships; race, gender, and class implications in schools; implications of policy and practice on student achievement and outcomes; and equity, justice, access, and inclusion for minoritized communities. In addition to her work in higher education, Dr. Vassar has extensive experience in K-12 public education, having served over 20 years as a teacher, counselor, and principal. She maintains a steadfast commitment to community service through her committee work, as a mentor, and community liaison. Dr. Vassar resides in Detroit with her husband and three children.

Ninth Circuit Argument in Big Horn County Electric v. Big Man

February 9, 2022February 9, 2022Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here:

Briefs are here.

One of my favorite people, Melody McCoy, a Cherokee citizen and Michigan alum, argued for the respondents. Izhaadaa giizhigowande!

Continue reading →

City of Seattle Sues to Stop Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Court Suit over Rights of Nature

February 9, 2022Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here are the materials in City of Seattle v. Sauk-Suiattle Tribal Court (W.D. Wash.):

Tribal court suit here.

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians and Spirit Lake Tribe v. Jaeger

February 8, 2022Matthew Campbell

The Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians, Spirit Lake Tribe, and several individual voters filed suit in North Dakota challenging North Dakota’s state legislative map as unlawfully diluting the voting rights of Native Americans in violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA). You can see the complaint here.

Press release is here.

May be an image of text that says 'REDISTRICTING "In a process that is supposed to produce election boundaries that fairly and accurately reflect North Dakota's population, the state instead approved a map designed to stifle Native American votes." -PLAINTIFF WES DAVIS TURTLE MOUNTAIN CHIPPEWA) CHAIR OF NORTH DAKOTA NATIVE VOTE NARF'

Call for Art: 19th Annual ILPC & TICA Indigenous Law Conference

February 8, 2022March 2, 2022gabrielagendreau

CALL FOR ART

Submissions due March 21st, 2022

Indigenous Law & Policy Center & Tribal In-House Counsel Association 19th Annual Indigenous Law Conference

Each year, the conference sponsors one American Indian, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian artist whose work is featured on digital and print conference materials which may be adapted for use. Artists of all mediums are encouraged to submit their work.

Submission Requirements:

To inquire about or to submit artwork, please email MSU ILPC at indigenous@law.msu.edu

Include the following:

PDF or Adobe Photoshop file
Artist biography / brief summary of work and artist or foundation contact information. To be included in the conference program if desired.

Contact Us:

Doreen N. McPaul, President of TICA: dmcpaul@nndoj.org
MSU ILPC: indigenous@law.msu.edu
Gabriela Gendreau, MSU ILPC Communications Coordinator: ggendreau@law.msu.edu

Past Conference Art:

View past conference artwork here: https://turtletalk.blog/indigenous-lawprogram/ilpc-artwork/

Call for Proposals: 19th Annual ILPC & TICA Indigenous Law Conference

February 8, 2022March 2, 2022gabrielagendreau

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Proposals due March 21st, 2022

Indigenous Law & Policy Center & Tribal In-House Counsel Association 19th Annual Indigenous Law Conference

The Conference:

The conference has eight panels; one reserved for hot topics, plus a keynote speaker. Current TICA members with a focus on the tribal inhouse practice of law who are interested in presenting are invited to submit panel proposals with up to four speakers.

Want to Speak at the Indigenous Law Conference?:

Become a TICA member at www.tica.wildapricot.org
MSU Law will provide research support for speakers in preparing materials upon request. MSU Law will cover reasonable travel and lodging expenses.

Submit Panel Proposals:

Submit panel proposals as a PDF or Word document, 300 words or less, to MSU ILPC at indigenous@law.msu.edu

Include the following information for each panelist:

Name
Title (current position)
Contact information

Contact Us:

Doreen N. McPaul, President of TICA: dmcpaul@nndoj.org
MSU ILPC: indigenous@law.msu.edu
Gabriela Gendreau, MSU ILPC Communications Coordinator: ggendreau@law.msu.edu

New Scholarship on Dam Removal on Ottaway, Penobscot, and Elwha Rivers

February 8, 2022Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Coleen A. Fox, Nicholas J. Reo, Brett Fessell, and Frank Dituri have published “Native American Tribes and Dam Removal: Restoring the Ottaway, Penobscot and Elwha Rivers.“

The abstract:

Since the early 1900s, more than 1700 dams have been removed from rivers in the United States. Native American Tribes have played a key role in many significant removals, bringing cultural, economic, and legal resources to bear on the process. Their involvement contrasts with the displacement and marginalisation that have historically characterised the relationship between Native Americans and the dams built by settler – colonial governments on their rivers. Our research investigates Tribal involvement in dam removals, with examples from the Ottaway, Penobscot, and Elwha rivers. We ask the following: what roles have Tribes played in successful removals? How do dam removals affect and reflect shifting relations between Tribal governments and non-Tribal actors? Our research finds that Tribal involvement provides opportunities for inserting underacknowledged values and resource claims into dam removal efforts, and that it facilitates new collaborations and alliances. We also find evidence of Tribal involvement affecting the nature and practice of river restoration through dam removal. We conclude that the involvement of Tribes in dam removal contributes to important shifts in environmental politics in the US, and that it also creates opportunities for restorative environmental justice for Native Americans and their rivers.

HIGHLY recommended.

*The Elwha River, deep in the Olympic National Forest of Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula, flattens out here but will narrow and add rapid as it heads toward Madison Falls.*

United Nation Experts’ Statement on Nooksack

February 8, 2022February 8, 2022Matthew L.M. Fletcher

Here is the statement from the U.N. Special Rapporteurs.

12-15-21 UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF HIGH COMMISSIONER URGENT APPEAL.pdf Download

California Indian Law Association, Inc.’s Pathway to Law Program

February 7, 2022gabrielagendreau

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
CILA welcomes Native American and Alaska Native college juniors, seniors, recent college graduates, and professionals with an interest in law school to apply. The program will guide you through the law school application process and pair you with an attorney mentor. Preference given to those with California ties.

DATES & LOCATION
March 18-19, 2022 Virtual via Zoom

ONLINE APPLICATION AVAILABLE AT

https://bit.ly/3zNVBXo
ALL ADMITTED PARTICIPANTS HAVE THE CHANCE TO QUALIFY FOR AN LSAT TEST PREP SCHOLARSHIP

APPLICATION DEADLINE
5:00 PM PST FEB. 18, 2021

Pathway to Law Initiative: Native American Law School Admissions Workshop

February 7, 2022gabrielagendreau

Pathway to Law Initiative: Native American Law School Admissions Workshop

June 8-12, 2022

383 South University St

Salt Lake City, UT 84112

University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

The Native American Pathway to Law Pre-Law programs educate and help students successfully navigate the law school application process. The Eighth Annual workshop will assist participants in preparing competitive applications. Come learn how to successfully apply to law school and network with law school professionals.

Topics covered:

• Learn about law school and career options
• Obtain information about the varied admissions criteria for law school
• Work with mentors to develop an effective application, resume, and personal statement
• Explore law school funding options
• Receive test prep tips for the LSAT
• Network with other participants, faculty, and professionals
• Hear from former and current American Indian law students

Apply at: https://law.asu.edu/pathway-to-law

Space is limited. Register by April 15, 2022.

Questions? Contact Simon Goldenberg at sgoldenberg@asu.edu