SASO presents the 5th Annual Violence Against Indigenous Relatives Symposium. Gina Lopez is a co-founder of the grassroots Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Taskforce of Colorado. We are pleased to have Gina Lopez present and give knowledge on missing and murdered Indigenous relatives and Senate Bill 22-150 for Colorado.
Gina joined CCASA in October 2018 as the Rural and Indigenous Communities Specialist within the Programs department providing training and technical assistance. She is a member of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe in Towaoc, Colorado and had been the Program Coordinator for the Tribe’s first-ever tribal comprehensive victim services from late 2015 to 2018. With experience as a tribal victim services advocate and supervisor of prevention programs for domestic violence, sexual assault, and suicide on the reservation. She is also the co-facilitator of NAUHZCASA (Navajo, Apache, Ute, Hopi, Zuni Coalition Against Sexual Assault) that provides for resources, information and support for providers and responders in the 5 Nations of the southwest. Gina completed her high school education at Sherman Indian High School in Riverside, California, a residential boarding school for Native American high school students from across Indian Country. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice/Criminology from Metro State University.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives Grassroots Taskforce of Colorado was formed by Gina Lopez, Monycka Snowbird, and Kelsey Lansing. We formed this task force to address the rising issue of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives in Colorado.
Song used for slides of names of missing and murdered Indigenous relatives:
Remember Me by Fawn Wood
