Samantha Skenandore Quoted in Madison 365 Article About Native Culture and Experiences
Quarles & Brady attorney Samantha Skenandore, a member of the firm’s Real Estate and Indian Law & Policy groups, was featured in a Madison365 article that outlined her story, from her upbringing to becoming an attorney at Quarles who wants to bring positive change and awareness to Indigenous people and the issues that most affect them.
An excerpt from the article:
Skenandore has been a long-time advocate and activist when it comes to issues of federal and state law in the context of Indigenous sovereignty and rights. Having almost two decades of practice as an attorney, as well as experience outside of Wisconsin practicing law, Skenandore spoke to the importance of doing the work with the right intention while centering the wants and needs of the tribes first.
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With the reality in mind that nobody will fight for tribal interests as hard and as courageously as Indigenous people themselves, Skenandore closed simply on the idea of recognizing the hard work of Indigenous people, especially women, at the forefront of tribal lands and sovereignty rights.
With the new president of the American Bar Association, Mary Smith, being the first Native American woman in the role, and with continued visibility and presence of Indigenous stories, experiences, and people in the public eye, Skenendore was hopeful that things will continue on an upwards trajectory as long as people make an effort to acknowledge those often undervalued voices.
“Let’s finally show you how hard some of the hardest people in the law are working, and they happen to be Native women. I think that’s fantastic. Going forward, there is light being shined, not just on women in the law, but also on Indian culture and Indian people. They are becoming more visible in the fabric of American history. I think it’s changing minds and changing how people think about where things are landing today. When tribes are trying to do things, they’re not so biased, they give it a second thought and let it sink in.”