Indigenous women abecoming advocates to address MMIW plight

Denise Gee Peacock | July 18, 2024

Is there hope for the hundreds of missing and murdered indigenous women? An article by Rachel Monroe in The New Yorker begs this question, and the answer may lie in the strength of other Indigenous women. Lela Mailman became an advocate for the voiceless after her 21-year-old daughter, Melanie James, vanished in 2014 in Farmington, […]

Image showing Derek VanLuchene and Pamela Foster holding a memorial quilt she made for him in tribute to his late brother and dog.

Handmade Quilt Creates ‘Invisible Thread’ Between Two Survivors of Loss

Denise Gee Peacock | April 15, 2024

By Denise Gee Peacock For those fortunate enough to witness it, one of the most moving moments of the 2024 AMBER Alert & AMBER Alert in Indian Country Symposium came in the guise of a small package—one that guest speaker Pamela Foster quietly handed to AATTAP CART Project Coordinator Derek VanLuchene. Both share a unique […]

Pamela Foster, left, is shown with Chyrl Jones, Deputy Administrator for the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

‘Warrior Mom’ Pamela Foster Addresses Tribal Leaders About Need for AMBER Alert Training & Collaboration

Denise Gee Peacock | March 24, 2024

By Denise Gee Peacock At the 2024 National AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP)/AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) Symposium in New Orleans, Pamela Foster—the mother of Ashlynne Mike, namesake of the Ashlynne Mike AMBER Alert in Indian Country Act of 2018—spoke directly to Tribal leadership about the need for AMBER Alerts and AMBER […]

Photo of Tyesha M. Wood

AMBER Alert in Indian Country Leader Named ‘Champion of Change’

Denise Gee Peacock | February 2, 2024

  Tyesha M. Wood—a Program Manager for the AMBER Alert Training & Technical Assistance Program (AATTAP) who oversees the AMBER Alert in Indian Country (AIIC) Initiative—is one of five public servants nationwide selected by the End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI) organization as a 2024 “Champion of Change.” EVAWI operates as a catalyst for justice […]

Shiprock Monument

AMBER Alert in Indian Country – Issue 1 2021

Brian Thurber | March 25, 2021

By Denise Gee Peacock On Nov. 25, 2020, the Navajo Nation AMBER Alert faced its first real test – and aced it. The AMBER Alert led to two young sisters being safely returned to their home in northwest New Mexico, and that left Navajo Nation Department of Emergency Management Harlan Cleveland breathing yet another sigh […]