The 17th Annual Gathering of Remembrance for missing and murdered Indigenous people in Interior Alaska was held April 26th in downtown Fairbanks.
Shirley Lee, Strategic Development Director for Fairbanks Native Association (FNA), led the gathering. Speakers included Chief Steve Ginnis, Executive Director of FNA, Brian Ridley, Chief of Tanana Chiefs Conference (TCC), Reverent John Holtz, Vicar of St. Jude’s Church in North Pole, and Scott Fisher, Reverend of St. Matthews Episcopal Church. There was also representation from the Alaska State Troopers, Fairbanks Police Department, the Fairbanks District Attorney’s Office, and City of Fairbanks Mayor David Pruhs.
The gathering opened with a prayer by Reverend Holtz, and a note of gratitude by Shirley Lee, who thanked the law enforcement presence and the families of the missing and murdered for being present in spite of their pain.
In his address, Chief Steve Ginnis pointed out the power of collective advocacy, noting the 2023 solving of Sophie Sergie’s murder, which occurred in 1993.
TCC Chief Brian Ridley pointed out the importance of a unified voice in the quest for justice. “Your support is everything to the friends and family of those that we’ve lost. In times of sadness and hardship, it’s important that we stand together and support each other; that’s our way,” he said.
TCC recently partnered with the Department of Justice to create a community response plan which was approved by our Tribes at this year’s Annual Convention and Full Board of Directors Meeting. Ridley said that he hopes that by working together we can improve the response to these cases.
Lieutenant Jess Carson from Alaska State Troopers reiterated the difference that unity in advocacy for our missing and murdered loved ones is making within the law enforcement community. “This group led by FNA and TCC has done more than I have ever seen any other activist group do. Because of all the work you have done, we have more people working on these cases than ever before,” he said.
Currently, there are three investigators out of Anchorage dedicated to solving these cases.
In her closing address, Shirley Lee recounted the conversation she had with Shirley Demientieff, the former leader of the annual Gatherings of Remembrance, on her deathbed, recalling that Demientieff could recite every case from memory, as well as the names of their families and their contact information.
“We are here today to honor these people whose names we have put on signs,” Lee said in conclusion, “Behind each of these names is a story, not of their tragic death or their unsolved mystery, but of each child of God who was loved.”
