Gabe Galanda, along with George Adams and Nooksack 306 family members, in 2015
The American Bar Association Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession has named Gabe Galanda a 2022 recipient of the Spirit of Excellence Award.
The National Native American Bar Association nominated Gabe for the prestigious award, calling him “a civil rights warrior.” The award symbolizes the determination of racially and ethnically diverse lawyers who have not only navigated their own path to success but paved the way for those who follow them.
When asked to reflect on the importance of the Spirit of Excellence Awards and promoting a more racially and ethnically diverse legal profession, Gabe said:
Without Indigenous representation in the law, there will never be a guarantee to Indigenous citizens or residents of this country that they will be afforded the human rights protection that everyone else in this country enjoys. So unless there are Indigenous advocates, there will not be Indigenous human rights.
Gabe dedicates his award to the Nooksack 306, a group of Indigenous kinfolk in northern Washington state whose human rights have been violated by tribal political actors for the last decade.
Gabe will be recognized, along with Washington Supreme Court Chief Justice Steven C. González, Kay H. Hodge, Carlos E. Moore and Oregon Supreme Court Justice Adrienne C. Nelson, during a virtual ceremony on Feb. 10 at 3 PM Pacific.
“These awardees have blazed trails and have encouraged and supported others to succeed,” Michelle Behnke, the chair of the commission, said when they were announced in September. “Most importantly, these awardees highlight for the world that diversity, equity and inclusion is not mutually exclusive to excellence, grit and determination.”
Gabe Galanda is an Indigenous rights attorney and the managing lawyer at Galanda Broadman in Seattle. He belongs to the Round Valley Indian Tribes of California, descending from the Nomlaki and Concow Peoples.
