Uncategorized
Join ARA at the annual Walking in Mukluks Reception!
Please join us in the nation’s capital on June 4, 2025 for Walking in Mukluks, a reception celebrating Alaska Native people, our cultures, and our lands.
June 4, 2025 | 5:30 – 8:00 p.m.
250 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, D.C.
Penthouse Suite
In line with our Walking in Mukluks theme, we welcome you to wear your mukluks, moccasins, piluguks, kamiks, kentsiis, or other traditional boots that are meaningful in your cultures. We hope to commemorate the diversity of Alaska Native and Indigenous cultures as we gather together.
ANCSA Regional Association Opposes Ballot Measure 2
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 26, 2024
ANCSA Regional Association Opposes Ballot Measure 2
Anchorage, AK – The ANCSA Regional Association (ARA) Board of Directors has voted to oppose Ballot Measure 2 in the upcoming general election this November. If passed, Ballot Measure 2 would repeal the ranked choice voting (RCV) system passed by Alaska voters in 2020.
“Ranked choice voting, at its core, has made Alaska less partisan. The vast majority of voters in our state are independent, non-partisans, and this includes Alaska Native people. RCV honors the independent spirit of our state and allows us to elect leaders focused on solutions, not partisan divisions,” said ARA President Kim Reitmeier.
ARA Board Chair Shauna Hegna added, “Ballot Measure 2 is a step backwards. Voters instituted the ranked choice voting system in 2020 and we’ve already seen the benefits of that system in the types of candidates running and winning in Alaska. Our state wins when politicians can stand up for what they believe in without fear of retribution by partisans on the edges of the political spectrum. And Alaska Native people win when they can focus on supporting the candidates who most support their own values and not what the national political parties dictate.”
ARA supports retaining the ranked choice voting system passed by voters in 2020 because the system has changed our politics for the better and has given space for more Alaska Native voices to take a seat at the table.
###
About ANCSA Regional Association (ARA): ARA represents the presidents and chief executive officers of the twelve land-based Alaska Native regional corporations that were created pursuant to the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) of 1971. ARA’s member corporations are owned by more than 150,000 Alaska Native shareholders. Its purpose is to promote and foster the continued growth and economic strength of Alaska Native corporations on behalf of Alaska Native shareholders, descendants, and communities. Together, ANCSA corporations employ tens of thousands in Alaska and across the world, providing critical support for national industries as well as communities throughout Alaska. Learn more at ancsaregional.com.
ANCSA Regional Association and Alaska Native Village Corporation Association mourn the loss of Congressman Don Young
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 18, 2022
ANCSA Regional Association and Alaska Native Village Corporation Association mourn the loss of Congressman Don Young
The ANCSA Regional Association (ARA) and Alaska Native Village Corporation Association (ANVCA) grieve the loss of Congressman Don Young, who passed away today.
ARA Board Chair Sophie Minich and President Kim Reitmeier along with ANVCA Board Chair Nathan McCowan and Executive Director Hallie Bissett released the following joint statement regarding Young’s death:
“We are shocked and saddened to hear of Congressman Young’s passing tonight. His long career in the House of Representatives was marked by his unrelenting advocacy for Alaska Native people, his support for our state’s energy and infrastructure needs, and above all, his passion for Alaska.
We send our condolences to his wife, Anne, his family, and his staff as they grieve.
Tonight, we mourn the Congressman for All Alaska. He will be missed.”
###
