WWW.NATIVEAMERICANBAR.ORG
For Immediate Release, June 22, 2015
Contact: Linda Benally (623) 308-2329

NNABA DIRECTOR GABE GALANDA TO ADVOCATE FOR
CURING THE TRIBAL DISENROLLMENT EPIDEMIC
AT NABA-AZ ANNUAL MEETING IN PHOENIX

Phoenix, AZ - On Friday, June 26, 2015, NNABA Director Gabe Galanda will present his recently published Arizona Law Review article Curing the Tribal Disenrollment Epidemic: In Search of a Remedy.

The article, authored by Galanda and Ryan Dreveskracht, provides a comprehensive analysis of tribal membership, and the divestment thereof�commonly known as �disenrollment.� Chiefly caused by the proliferation of Indian gaming revenue distributions to tribal members over the last 25 years, the rate of tribal disenrollment has spiked to epidemic proportions. There is generally not yet an adequate legal remedy to stem the crisis or redress related Indian civil rights violations. Galanda�s goal is to find a cure, before it is too late.

�It is incumbent upon Indian Country to break the silence regarding the tribally taboo subject of disenrollment,� said Galanda. �If we don�t ask and answer tough questions about tribal belonging, others in the Congress or courts will do so, and we won�t like their answers. Candid tribal discussion and education will also lead to preventing further tribal self-termination.�

Read the full article HERE.

In April, NNABA, through Resolution 2015-6 �Supporting Equal Protection and Due Process for Any Divestment of the American Indigenous Right of Tribal Citizenship,� declared that it is immoral and unethical for any lawyer to advocate for or contribute to the divestment or restriction of the American indigenous right of tribal citizenship, without equal protection at law or due process of law or an effective remedy for the violation of such rights.

�I am proud that our national tribal bar has taken the lead in causing civil discourse within Indian Country about the human rights violations associated with disenrollment,� said Galanda.

The 2015 NABA-AZ Annual Meeting will be held at the Capital Grille in Phoenix, AZ, at Noon this Friday. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Kerry Patterson at [email protected]. Click HERE to learn more about NABA-AZ.

Galanda is a founding partner Galanda Broadman, PLLC, a Seattle-based American Indian owned law firm dedicated to advancing tribal legal rights and Indian business interests. Gabe can be reached at [email protected] or at (206) 300-7801.

Founded in 1973, NNABA serves as the national association for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian attorneys, judges, law professors and law students. NNABA strives for justice and effective legal representation for all American indigenous peoples; fosters the development of Native American lawyers and judges; and addresses social, cultural and legal issues affecting American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.