JUNEAU, AK
(June 5, 2020) –
The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska (Tlingit & Haida) will be holding a virtual rally through a Facebook Live event on Saturday, June 6, 2020 at 11:00 AM in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Facebook live event will be emceed by Tlingit & Haida Sixth Vice President Catherine Edwards with a welcome and opening remarks provided by Tlingit & Haida President Richard Chalyee Éesh Peterson. The featured speakers are Angola Dixon, Robin Pratt and Nikkita Oliver who have ties to the Black and Black/Indigenous communities with areas of expertise ranging from strategic activism, criminal justice and lived experience. The virtual rally will close with a panel discussion held by Seattle Tlingit & Haida Delegate Patricia Allen-Dick and former Tlingit & Haida Emerging Leaders Miciana Alise and Stephanie Masterman.
Statement of Support from Tlingit & Haida:
Tlingit & Haida would like to extend our condolences and prayers to the family of George Floyd. In dark times like this, we turn to our Traditional Tribal Values for guidance. They teach us and remind us of the value and respect for the lives of all our brothers and sisters. No one should be able to take away something so sacred as life.
As we mourn the murder of George Floyd, we are also thinking of all those who have been victims of injustice and bigotry such as Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. The list of people whose lives has been taken is too long, but we must say their names and remember them in our hearts as we move ourselves forward.
As a federally recognized tribe, representing over 31,000 tribal citizens, Tlingit & Haida is a sovereign government and condemns the institutional racism that remains embedded in our society. The ongoing systemic racism shows no equal regard for life and will only be dismantled by intentional actions focused on the roots of the problem and by recognizing that not enough is changing.
Tlingit & Haida encourages our people to embrace our brothers and sisters who have endured inequality for generations. We are a community in pain, but we must face it with purpose now. It is up to all of us to create a more inclusive and understanding world and we have the responsibility to learn from this moment in history.
Please join us in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and Gunalchéesh, Háw’aa (thank you) to all who are peacefully protesting and showing their solidarity with our brothers and sisters.
We all need to do better. We all need to do more.
We hear and see you. You matter to us. We stand with you.
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Media Contact:
Office of the President - Communications
Raeanne Holmes, Communications Coordinator
