Western Native Voice to open Washington, D.C., office

Western Native Voice, a Montana-based nonprofit focused on Native equity and opportunity, is opening a new office in Washington, D.C., on May 12, according to reporting by Public News Service. Formed in 2022, Western Native Voice has worked closely with tribes across the West and sees the new office as a way to be more effective at the national level.

“Being able to be right there, be on top of the action and be able to use our voice in Washington is going to help us be a little bit more proactive,” Keaton Sunchild, the group’s director of government and political relations, was quoted as saying.

Sunchild said key national priorities include criminal justice funding for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous People and drug crises in tribal communities. Sunchild also flagged voting rights as a continued concern and said he plans to work on funding for more satellite election offices and for protections to ensure that tribal IDs are recognized for voter registration.