Last December, the Yurok Tribal Council declared a state of emergency, due to the high number of missing persons and attempted human trafficking incidents that have occurred in Humboldt County.

CalVet’s Minority and Underrepresented Veterans Division will host a webinar to expand awareness of this emergency and convene a panel of experts to inform veteran service providers during a webinar titled “Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: Awareness for Veterans Service Providers.”

The webinar is on January 20, at 11:30 a.m. and will feature a panel of subject matter experts from tribal, state, and federal agencies:

• Two Bears Delarosa and Ted Tenorio, both of the Native American Veterans Association.
• Stephanie Birdwell, director of the VA’s Office of Tribal Government Relations.
• Terry Bentley, the VA’s Pacific District Tribal Government relations specialist.
• Tasha Guerrero, national coordinator for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Victim Assistance Program, Office of Justice Services.
• Merri Lopez-Keifer, director of the Office of Native American Affairs at the California State Department of Justice.

CalVet hopes to magnify ongoing efforts – by educating veterans service providers – through the panel of experts on the issues Humboldt County and other rural counties in California are facing. More than 700,000 indigenous people live in California. More than 24,000 Native Americans in California have served in the U.S. Armed Forces.

For more information and to register for the webinar visit www.calvet.ca.gov/calvet-programs/minority-veterans.