b'Sam recounted a memory of sitting in Seattle him to Paula Shapiro, Director of thewith other folks when an AMBER Alert went American Bar Association Civil Rights &out [notifying us that] we had lost someone Social Justice Section. Over the next fewin our community. A conversation began months, Sam noted, they worked withthat led Sam to the question: How can that Gardner, Shapiro, and a team of others tosystem be used to bring home our relatives? draft the reports and other things that wereAlongside Lily Painter (Kiowa Tribe of needed for the ABA to pick up theOklahoma and the Winnebago Tribe of resolution. Sam frequently and repeatedlyNebraska), advocate and activist working emphasized the role that so many individualstowards building awareness around and played and continue to play to ensure thatsolutions to address Missing and Murdered the proposal got where it needed to go andIndigenous People (MMIP), Sam began doing that it was structured in a format that wouldresearch on the statutory authority of AMBER be approved. This resolution wouldnt haveAlerts and methods through which a parallel gotten through the ABA process if it wasntsystem could be legally adapted for Tribes for many Native and [civil rights-driven folksusing that same infrastructure. spending] countless hours taking what Tribeshad endorsed and putting it into formats thatFrom its inception, Sam notes, it was quickly institutions can get behind, Sam shared. Atendorsed by the Kenaitze Indian Tribe. its core, this is a Tribal effort, intended to beKenaitze Tribal Chair Bernadine Atchison, as driven by and for Tribes. Resolution 504well as Vice Chair Mary Ann Mills, Secretary passed unanimously. Ronette Stanton, and other members ofTribal Council supported the proposal and Reflecting on the process, Sam highlighted,supported in moving it forward. Since then, these are relatively cheap changes that willnetworking efforts and ongoing work from effectively address a prevalent issue using anmany parties involved, the bill gained support existing system. Were not creating a wholefrom a number of Tribes and endorsements new system that Tribes have to learn andfrom National Congress of American Indians states have the cooperate withwere justand the Alaska Federation of Natives. Then, adding to it. Sam presented the idea to Mary Smith,President of the American Bar Association,while she was in Anchorage, Alaska at areception. Sam described that conversation:I walked up to [Mary] and said, I have this At its core, this is a Tribalthing weve been working on. Eight tribes effort, intended to be drivensupport it, the NCAI supports it. What can the by and for Tribes.ABA do? Smith quickly reconnected Samwith Jerry Gardner, Executive Director of theTribal Law and Policy Institute and introduced23'