Legislature(2023 - 2024)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/04/2023 01:30 PM Senate COMMUNITY & REGIONAL AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB103 | |
| Presentation(s): Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-spirit Alaska Work Group | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 103 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE COMMUNITY AND REGIONAL AFFAIRS STANDING COMMITTEE
April 4, 2023
1:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Forrest Dunbar, Chair
Senator Donald Olson, Vice Chair
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson
Senator Cathy Giessel
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Jesse Bjorkman
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 103
"An Act relating to peer support counseling programs for law
enforcement agencies, emergency service providers, and the
Department of Corrections."
- MOVED SB 103 OUT OF COMMITTEE
PRESENTATION(S): MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN, GIRLS,
AND TWO-SPIRIT ALASKA WORKING GROUP
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: SB 103
SHORT TITLE: PEER SUPPORT COUNSELING PROGRAM
SPONSOR(s): SENATOR(s) DUNBAR
03/15/23 (S) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
03/15/23 (S) CRA
03/28/23 (S) CRA AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
03/28/23 (S) Heard & Held
03/28/23 (S) MINUTE(CRA)
04/04/23 (S) CRA AT 1:30 PM BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
WITNESS REGISTER
KENDRA KLOSTER, Co-Director
Law and Policy
Alaska Native Women's Resource Center
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in the presentation and
answered questions on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women,
Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) Alaska Working Group.
CHARLENE AQPIK APOK, Executive Director and Co-Founder
Data for Indigenous Justice
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in the presentation and
answered questions on the MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group.
KELSEY POTDEVIN, Education and Outreach Manager
Alaska Native Justice Center
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Participated in the presentation on the
MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:30:33 PM
CHAIR FORREST DUNBAR called the Senate Community and Regional
Affairs Standing Committee meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Present
at the call to order were Senators Gray-Jackson, Giessel, and,
Chair Dunbar. Senator Olson joined the meeting shortly
thereafter.
SB 103-PEER SUPPORT COUNSELING PROGRAM
1:31:22 PM
CHAIR DUNBAR announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 103
"An Act relating to peer support counseling programs for law
enforcement agencies, emergency service providers, and the
Department of Corrections."
CHAIR DUNBAR said this is the second hearing of this bill. The
intention is to solicit the will of the committee on this bill.
1:31:54 PM
SENATOR GIESSEL moved to report SB 103, work order 33-LS0565\A,
from committee with individual recommendations and attached
fiscal note(s).
CHAIR DUNBAR found no objection and SB 103 was reported from the
Senate Community and Regional Affairs Standing Committee.
1:32:15 PM
At ease.
SENATOR OLSON joined the meeting.
^PRESENTATION(S): MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN, GIRLS,
AND TWO-SPIRIT ALASKA WORK GROUP
PRESENTATION(S): MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN, GIRLS,
AND TWO-SPIRIT ALASKA WORKING GROUP
1:33:44 PM
CHAIR DUNBAR reconvened the meeting and announced the Missing
and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S)
Alaska Working Group Presentation. He invited the Alaska Working
Group presenters to put themselves on the record and begin.
1:34:56 PM
KENDRA KLOSTER, Co-Director, Law and Policy, Alaska Native
Women's Resource Center, Anchorage, Alaska, advanced to slide 1,
which listed five indigenous-led organizations that joined
forces to form the MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group in 2018. These
indigenous organizations are:
- The Alaska Native Heritage Center
- Alaska Native Justice Center - Voices for Justice
- Alaska Native Women's Resource Center (AKNWRC)
- Data for Indigenous Justice
- Native Movement
MS. KLOSTER said there is a crisis throughout Alaska, the
nation, and the world around missing and murdered indigenous
women and girls. The Alaska Working Group came together to
figure out how to address this issue with tribes, indigenous
organizations, and other organizations statewide. She emphasized
that she does not want to pass this crisis on to the next
generations; she called this effort "heart work."
1:37:02 PM
CHARLENE AQPIK APOK, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Data for
Indigenous Justice, Anchorage, Alaska, introduced herself and
participated in the slideshow presentation on the MMIWG2S Alaska
Working Group. She honed an Alaska database for MMIWG2S persons
and highlighted organizations she associates with on this issue.
She does this work, first and foremost, for her family and as a
mother trying to raise her family safely. She recounted that
many family members believe her mother was murdered, though it
was listed as suicide. She said that her aunt went missing in
California and was declared deceased after never being found,
and her cousin was kidnapped and murdered in Anchorage.
1:39:00 PM
KELSEY POTDEVIN, Education and Outreach Manager, Alaska Native
Justice Center, Anchorage, Alaska, introduced herself and
participated in the slideshow presentation on the MMIWG2S Alaska
Working Group.
1:40:08 PM
MS. KLOSTER summarized slides 2 and 3, which listed the Alaska
Working Group members, their education, experience, and
interests.
1:40:45 PM
MS. KLOSTER reviewed slide 4:
About MMIWG2S Working Group
The Missing, Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and
Two-Spirit (MMWIG2S) Alaska Working Group is an
Indigenous Peoples-led statewide working group
supported by partner organizations: Alaska Native
Women's Resource Center, Alaska Native Justice Center,
Alaska Native Heritage Center, Data for Indigenous
Justice, and Native Movement. Members began meeting in
2018 and have continued to meet weekly in effort to
have shared communications, strategy, actions, and
community building to address this crisis in our
state.
What We Do
The MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group works in
collaboration to share initiatives that impacts
MMIWG2S/MMIP work, share and create strategies for
change, and host healing centered community events.
With partnership from statewide organizations, we
leverage our collective resources and skills to
analyze local, state, and federal policies, have a
unified voice on advocacy, and create meaningful
outfacing events for the community. Across our
organizations we are able to support this work group
administratively, through a policy subcommittee,
community organizers, cultural education, research and
data, and communications. As Indigenous peoples
leading the change we want to see, we are rooted in
our shared values and commitment to the safety and
wellbeing of our people.
MS. KLOSTER mentioned that the Alaska Working Group met with the
Department of Public Safety (DPS) commissioner, and he hired two
investigators for the Missing or Murdered Indigenous People
(MMIP) Unit. The MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group educates and
provides resources that are key to addressing and ending this
crisis.
1:43:28 PM
MS. KLOSTER reviewed slide 5:
MMIWG2S Working Group Advocacy
The Working Group provides education, gathers and
shares information on MMIP/MMIWG2S to ensure policy
makers understand different strategies to address this
issue that affects so many Alaskan families.
In order to really address the crisis of MMIWG2S/MMIP
we must ensure we are addressing the interconnected
issues related to public safety reforms and find ways
to reduce violence.
Through this presentation you will get a background of
the crisis, we will share how, when and where we do
our work to address MMIWG2S/MMIP, and provide specific
recommendations which have come from our communities
across the state and have been identified as gaps that
need action now.
1:44:41 PM
MS. KLOSTER reviewed slide 6:
The MMIWG Red Hand
A red hand over the mouth has become the symbol of a
growing movement, the MMIWG movement. It stands for
all the missing sisters whose voices are not heard. It
stands for the silence of the media and law
enforcement in the midst of this crisis. It stands for
the oppression and subjugation of Native women who are
now rising up to say #NoMoreStolenSisters.
1:45:27 PM
MS. APOK advanced to slide 7, stating there are many
intersectional factors common to the MMIWG2S crisis. The
boarding school history of structural violence is one factor
that carries forward its detrimental effects in many indigenous
communities, internationally, in the Lower 48, and in Alaska.
She reviewed slide 7:
Boarding Schools and MMIWG
Destruction of identity, inward and outward
• Boarding schools were meant to destroy the way
Native peoples not only see ourselves, but how
society sees us as "less than" or "sub human"
Sexual Abuse as Institutional
• Levels of civilization of Alaska Native children
(societal worth) made sexual abuse permissible,
leading to a high percentage of abuse within these
schools
• Boarding schools were also a means for resource
extraction, which led to a large amount of sexual
abuse of Native women
Lasting Effects
• According to several studies, the children of a
parent who has been sexually abused are more likely
to be the target for abuse, becoming a cycle that
has become a cycle genetically embedded
• The factors of continued negative societal identity
and resource extraction within Native communities
reveal how one of the many continued legacies of
these institutions can be seen in the MMIWG crisis
• These factors can also explain why it has continued
to be allowed by governmental entities that do not
see Native peoples on the same level of personhood,
leaving way for abuse to be unchecked.
1:47:06 PM
MS. POTDEVIN reviewed slide 8:
Disproportionality of Victimization
- Data tells a story -
• 80% of Alaska Native/American Indian (AN/AI) women
will experience violence in their lifetimes - Rosay,
2016
• 55.6% of Alaska's sexual assault victims are AN/AI
people - DPS 2018
• AN/AI people twice as likely to be victims of
homicide - AJiC 2020
• An overwhelming number of sex offense cases reported
in Alaska are not prosecuted barely 50% accepted
for prosecution from 2018-2019. - ACJC 2020
• Alaska Natives and American Indians (ANAI) represent
around 19% of the state's population, yet statewide
60% of the children in foster care are ANAI.
• Suicide rate 4x the national average
• 40% Incarceration Rate - Alaska Native men and women
are more likely to be arrested than any other race
in Alaska. From a national perspective, AI/AN are
more likely to be arrested than any other race.
• AN/AI Youth are over 2x more likely to experience
physical dating violence in high school compared to
white peers. AN/AI Youth are 5x more likely to be
trafficked in Alaska among homeless youth.
1:48:33 PM
MS. POTDEVIN reviewed the chart on slide 9, which further
illustrated the disproportionality of victimization for Alaska
Native people:
MISSING & MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN & GIRLS
MMIWG
94 Percent Had been raped or coerced in their
lifetime.
42 Percent Attempted suicide at some point if they
had been raped or coerced.
53 Percent Lacked permanent housing.
34 Percent Binge drank on a weekly or daily basis
after they were initially attacked.
8 Percent Only 8 percent of cases of a rape
victim's first attack ended in a
conviction.
86 Percent Reported being affected by historical
trauma.
1:49:33 PM
MS. POTDEVIN advanced to slide 10, stating the following
statistics and reports relate to the MMIP crisis. She asked
committee members to examine these statistics and see that this
problem exists. There is a need for more data, better data, and
cleaned-up data. Members of the Alaska Working Group have
developed strategies to improve the data they work with so cases
do not get lost. The legislature can help by finding ways to
access good data. She suggested an offline discussion about
report recommendations, like those in the 2021 Alaska Baseline
Report "We are Calling to You." She reviewed slide 10:
MMIP/MMIWG2S Statistics
2021 Alaska Baseline Report - "We are Calling to You"
from Data for Indigenous Justice
• 229 cases of MMIWG (149 missing/80 murdered)
• These are baseline numbers
2018 Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) Report
• Alaska had the 4th highest MMIP cases by state
• Anchorage had the 3rd highest MMIP cases by city
• Anchorage ranked in the top five cities with the
highest number of cases not in law enforcement data.
MS. POTDEVIN said the 2018 Urban Indian Health Institute
Report was a landmark document that helped people
understand this issue.
National Missing and Unidentified Person System
(NAMUS) Monthly MMIP Update
• https://namus.nij.ojp.gov/missing-indigenous-persons
• Counted 292 Unresolved Missing Indigenous Persons
Cases in 2021
• Murder is the third leading cause of death among
American Indian/Alaska Native Women, (UIHI)
• While women and girls are the primary victims of
violence and human trafficking among Native
Americans, they are not alone. People of all ages
are victims of these horrific crimes, including men,
boys, infants, and the elderly. In fact, 82% of
indigenous men are victims of violence in their
lifetime and Native children are more likely to
experience trauma and abuse than their non-Native
peers. When educating yourself about the struggles
of Native Americans, it's important to recognize and
remember all victims of these crimes. (CRS MMIP
Research and Native Hope)
1:51:34 PM
MS. APOK advanced to slide 11, stating that she wanted to
acknowledge the human dimension of this work. While moving
through data, it is easy to forget that the missing are loved
and missed in their communities. She summarized slide 11:
Missing in Life
Mothers
Grandmothers
Daughters
Aunties
Fathers
Grandfathers
Uncles
Cousins
Relatives
Friends
Neighbors
Alaskans
She said the missing and murdered were individuals with hopes
and dreams. They are missing from someone's life, and the loss
of their brilliance and ideas are grieved.
1:52:38 PM
MS. APOK reviewed slide 12:
MURDER
The third-leading cause of death among American Indian
and Alaska Native women and girls aged 10-24.
We have now gathered and reclaimed a total of 229
cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn and
Girls in Alaska.
149 as missing status.
80 as murdered.
1:53:53 PM
MS. APOK reviewed slide 13, pointing out that there is a lack of
coverage in the media:
Missing in the Media
Our world revolves around media
• connects us
• influences us
• educates us
We welcome it in many spaces of our lives in our
home, at work and play. It's on our phones,
television, radio. Media has become the way we get our
news, share important information, connect with our
friends and family. It is also a way to send alerts
when people go missing or law enforcement need help
with collecting information. The media industry
decides what to put out, deciding what the general
public should see and shouldn't see.
95 PERCENT
A content analysis regarding MMIWG revealed that more
than 95 percent of the 934 articles reviewed were
never covered by any national or international media.
1:54:29 PM
MS. APOK advanced to slide 14, stating media is a powerful data
source and an important way to build a narrative around this
issue. She pointed out that media coverage is often portrayed
graphically and victim-blames. The life and legacy of the victim
is often missing, and just their death is covered. She said the
MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group wants to change that narrative by
owning and telling the story. Slide 14 reads:
Missing in the Media
Urban Indian Health Institute examined 934 articles,
which collectively covered 129 cases out of the 506
represented in the study.
• One-quarter of the total number of cases were
covered by local, regional, or national media.
• Less than one-fifth of the total number of cases
were covered more than once (14%),
• less than one-tenth were covered more than three
times (7%), and
• less than 5% of cases were covered more than five
times.
• The top ten cases that received the most coverage
comprised 62% of all coverage, and 47% of coverage
was regarding just one case.
• Nearly all of the articles UIHI surveyed (91%)
regarded a murder case, and 83% of the cases covered
by media were murder cases. There were 27 articles
printed in national or international media, covering
21 cases.
1:55:13 PM
MS. APOK advanced to slide 15, stating data is a significant
part of conveying a story. It is an important piece in tracking,
addressing, and determining how successes were achieved. It is
challenging to implement changes if accurate information is not
available. She said that the MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group has a
lot of recommendations about data; she said that she gives whole
presentations just on data. Slide 15 reads:
Missing in the Data
• A report by the Urban Indian Health Institute
identifies 506 urban missing and murdered indigenous
women & girls.
• Researchers also revealed significant challenges in
collecting data on the total number of missing or
murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives
residing off-reservation and outside rural villages.
"We owe it to these women and girls to fully identify
the scope of the problem," Lucchesi said. "What we
found in our research was that in some cases law
enforcement agencies didn't even have records on file
to consult, they were simply going off what they could
remember of past cases. This is unacceptable."
1:56:21 PM
MS. APOK advanced to slide 16, stating that what would be most
useful is to have information and data systems that serve Alaska
communities and agencies, including state and law enforcement
agencies and the justice system. She said there are many ways to
do this for better tracking. She summarized slide 16:
Missing in the Data
• The lack of tracking, quality data, and reporting
means there is a scarce amount of available data for
Tribes and Indigenous communities to advocate for
and have access to resources.
• Through research methods outside of Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) requests (government missing
persons databases, news reports, social media and
advocacy sites, direct contact with families and
community members who volunteered info), UIHI found
153 cases that were not in law enforcement records.
The 'Invisible 153' represent a sliver and a window
into those who have gone missing from our communities
and data for far too long.
5,712 cases of MMIWG were reported in 2016; only 116
of them were logged in the Department of Justice (DOJ)
database.
1:57:01 PM
MS. APOK reviewed slide 17:
Missing in the Data
We Are Calling to You: Alaska's Missing and Murdered
Indigenous Womxn and Girls Crisis was released by Data
for Indigenous Justice (DIJ) in February 2021. This
report specific to Alaska identified 229 MMIWG cases
in Alaska through the research and collection of their
own.
Additionally, DIJ identified various obstacles and
barriers to collecting data including:
• Jurisdiction in Alaska is a multi-dimensional web
that, instead of creating multiple layers of secure
networks for families and tribes, results in people
falling through endless gaps.
• Protocol Variation across the state, varying
information on process, protocol, and services is
unclear.
• Lack of Centralization & Digitization of Data leads
to missing data but also means in many cases reports
cannot even be generated at a community or agency
level. The systems also do not connect or speak to
each other.
1:58:25 PM
MS. KLOSTER reviewed slide 18:
MMIWG2S Successes
The work group advocates for policy changes - here are
some recently approved actions:
State & Local Policies:
• Two new designated MMIP Investigators
• State of Alaska MMIP Council
• VPSO legislation and funding increased in 2022
• MMIP Awareness Day Proclamations
Awareness & Healing:
• Annual Heartbeat of the Drums and 5K Run/Walk
• Multiple Awareness Events & Presentations
• Self Defense Classes
• Trainings - including Integrated Public Alert and
Warning System (IPAWS) and NamUs
Federal Policies:
• Passage of Savanna's Act
• Passage of Not Invisible Act - Tami Jerue, Michelle
Demmert, and Vivian Korthius sit on the NIA
Commission
• Violent Against Women Act (VAWA) Reauthorization
2:02:37 PM
MS. KLOSTER reviewed slide 19:
MMIWG2S Advocacy for Policy
The MMIWG2S Working Group has been working with
legislators over the years on MMIP Bills. The first
bill was filed in 2020, and since then we have been
drafting more comprehensive language.
House Bill 277 Missing/Murdered Indigenous Women;
Report was introduced in 2020.
Senate Bill 211 Missing/Murdered Indigenous Women;
Report was introduced in 2022.
We have also supported legislation that will increase
safety for our communities including the VPSO bill and
processing of rape kits that passed in 2022.
We continue to advocate for the need to overhaul our
outdated 911 system, increase VPSOs in communities
across the state, increase broadband capabilities in
rural Alaska, increase cooperation with our Tribes and
state agencies, and more.
2:04:00 PM
MS. KLOSTER reviewed slide 20, which listed the ways the
legislature could help with funding:
Recommendations for Operating Budget
• MMIP Attorney at Dept. of Law
• Continued expansion of MMIP Investigation Unit
• Data system improvements
• Funding for data collection on criminal justice
investigation and prosecution
• Grant funding for Tribal Governments to respond
to MMIP
• Mandatory Cultural Training led by Indigenous
organizations
• Precinct funding and support for VPSO program
• Funding to support updating outdated 911 system
• Increase support for DNA testing
2:08:27 PM
MS. POTDEVIN reviewed slide 21:
Recommendations for Legislative & Executive Branch
Policies
• Require training from indigenous led
organizations or contractors for all public
safety officials (AST, local police, VPSO)
• Re-establish fatality review commission
• Establish annual non-competitive grant program
for Tribes to address MMIP and Public Safety
issues
• Require interagency cooperation
• Audits and reporting on law enforcement
investigations
• Mandate NamUs Entry
• Review Dept. of Law procedures for prosecution of
cases involving murdered Indigenous people
• Review of case management by law enforcement
• Review of prosecution investigation, charging
decisions and access to necessary resources for
homicides; and review of judicial outcomes for
homicides
• Establish a Data Codebook Across Agencies to
Ensure Consistency in Data Collection and
Reporting.
• Improve Oversight of Investigations
• Provide Case Support for Families and Communities
2:11:49 PM
MS. POTDEVIN reviewed slide 22:
Advocate for Change in Your Community
Every Alaskan deserves to feel safe in their home and
walking around in their community.
Everyone has something to contribute.
Every Voice Matters.
We cannot make change alone it takes all of us to
come together to protect all our people across Alaska.
We need federal, state and tribal governments, non-
profits, individuals and communities to work across
all affiliations to make real change in Alaska.
2:13:08 PM
MS. POTDEVIN advanced to slide 23, which pictured the "This is
Why We Wear Red" toolkit for communities. She reviewed slide 23:
Resources for Your Community
The organizations that participate in the MMIWG2S
Alaska come to this work from different areas of
practice. Not all our organizations are direct
services providers to individuals and their families.
In order to provide further reach to individuals and
families seeking services and resources, we have
compiled this document which includes resources for
crisis intervention, emergency shelter, direct victim-
survivor service providers, and other kinds of
services that may aid in healing. Note this is not a
comprehensive list of all survivor services in Alaska.
MMIWG2S AK Working Group Resource List
This is Why We Wear Red MMIWG An Action Plan For
Native Communities
2:14:19 PM
MS. APOK advanced to slide 24, stating she invites everyone to
this work. There is a place of belonging for everyone. Systemic
state and institutional issues mean there is an opportunity for
systemic solutions. She said that the MMIWG2S Alaska Working
Group works on this crisis daily, and the endeavor takes a ton
of heart work. Families have entrusted them to advocate on their
behalf. She invited committee members to help pick up this work
and do everything possible in their role as legislators to
support the Alaska Working Group and their families. She
reviewed slide 24:
Standing Together For Action
We recognize the work that organizations, communities,
Tribes, and others all across Alaska, the country and
the world.
We do not stand alone.
We do not do this work alone.
We need everyone at the table to keep people safe.
2:15:32 PM
MS. APOK summarized slide 25:
MMIWG2S Working Group
Visit our websites for more information.
www.alaskanative.net
www.anjc.org
www.aknwrc.org
www.dataforindigenousjustice.com
www.nativemovement.org
Follow MMIWG2S Alaska on Facebook and Instagram
2:16:04 PM
SENATOR OLSON asked what the MMIWG2S Alaska Working Group plans
to accomplish with the requested funds in the next five years.
MS. APOK replied the Alaska Working Group wants justice on every
front, which means:
- Prevention. Offer self-defense seminars, and distribute
information and resources on prevention.
- Closure. Ensure families get closure and that their cases are
actively worked on.
- Funding. Recommendations for budget line items are listed on
slide 20.
MS. APOK said the Alaska Working Group comprises multiple
organizations with many skill sets. It relies on other entities,
like the legislature, to help identify areas where they can
collaborate and help. This work needs everyone to lend a hand,
from law enforcement, VPSOs, and advocates to prevention
workers.
2:19:03 PM
CHAIR DUNBAR drew attention to boarding school abuse. He asked
whether the working group could expound on this subject and the
work done in this area.
MS. APOK replied that Emily Edenshaw and her team plan to have
publications available soon.
MS. KLOSTER recommended the committee invite Emily Edenshaw to
give a presentation focusing only on boarding schools. Boarding
school abuse is an issue in Alaska. Native children statewide
were taken from their communities, put in boarding schools,
forbidden to speak their native languages, and mistreated.
Alaska Natives and communities continue to experience the
fallout from the abuse, and they continue to work on healing.
She highly recommended an in-depth presentation because there is
a lot to uncover.
MS. APOK said that the connection between boarding schools and
the crisis of missing and murdered indigenous relatives is one
of structural violence and its historical legacy in communities.
She said the biggest part is recognizing that Alaska Natives
still deal with the impacts of historical practices that have
been institutionalized.
2:22:04 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON brought up the ABC network series "Alaska
Daily," asking whether the series is valuable to the MMIWG2S
cause.
MS. APOK replied that indigenous writers from the series
approached the Alaska Working Group for feedback. They wanted to
be cognizant of how they told the story. She expressed pride in
the Alaska Native writers who raised awareness of the issue to a
higher level through the media. She said these writers provided
talking points to the lead character so that person understood a
lot of advocacy is being done in Alaska. She discussed data with
the writers. She mentioned that it is important to be mindful of
and think critically about using "white saviors" in the
narrative. She expressed her belief that the series has
positively impacted people, feeling like their stories and
families are present in the larger media setting.
2:24:17 PM
CHAIR DUNBAR asked if the presenters wanted to offer any closing
remarks.
MS. KLOSTER responded gunalchéesh - háw'aa. She thanked the
committee and DPS commissioner for listening. She suggested
committee members talk to Commissioner Cockrell about the MMIP
investigators and their work. This is not a crisis to pass on to
the next generation. The Alaska Working Group takes this work
very seriously, and she urged the committee to move this work
forward.
2:26:50 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Dunbar adjourned the Senate Community and Regional Affairs
Standing Committee meeting at 2:26 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Senate CRA Affairs Presentation for MMIWG2S Work Group - April 2023.pptx-2.pdf |
SCRA 4/4/2023 1:30:00 PM |