CO Native American Confab To Address Key Issues

GREENLY, CO - The University of Northern Colorado will host a national conference that addresses Native American issues Aug. 10-11 at its Greenly campus.

The second annual "Pathways to Respecting American Indian Civil Rights Conference" promotes the training, educating, and sharing of information between American Indians on and off-reservation with federal, state, and local agencies; community organizations; educators; and health care providers.

Topics to be discussed during sessions include:

Environmental Justice
Nondiscrimination in Employment and Employment Opportunities through Tribal Employment Rights Offices
Sexual Violence in the Lives of Native Women
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the American Indian Health Improvement Act
Civil Rights and Justice on Tribal Land
The Modern HIV Epidemic and its Challenges to Tribal Rights and Sovereignty
Culturally Aware Approaches to Address Harassment and Bullying.

Scheduled speakers include John Echohawk, president and chief executive officer of the Native American Rights Fund; John Walsh, U.S. attorney, District of Colorado; Troy Eid, chair, U.S. Committee on Indian Law and Order and former U.S. attorney, District of Colorado; and Karen Artichoker of the Indigenous Women's Justice Institute.

The conference will also feature other distinguished speakers, including Brett Shelton, a Colorado-based attorney who represents tribes in Colorado and other states, and Darius Lee Smith, director of the Denver Anti-Discrimination Office.