Facing Race: A National Conference in St. Louis, MO — November 20-22, 2024

Carrie Garrow (Mohawk)

Carrie E. Garrow is a Visiting Assistant Professor at Syracuse University College of Law. She is also the Chief Appellate Judge for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Court. She previously served as the Executive Director for the Center for Indigenous Law, Governance & Citizenship at Syracuse University College of Law. She received her undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, her law degree from Stanford Law School, and a Master’s in Public Policy degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. Prior to coming to Syracuse University she worked as a deputy district attorney for Riverside County in Southern California, the Chief Judge for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and a tribal justice consultant for several non-profit organizations, including the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development, the Native Nations Institute, and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute. As a TLPI consultant, Ms. Garrow provides training and technical assistance to tribal drug courts.


Presentations from Facing Race 2014

Why Tribal Sovereignty Matters

Tribal sovereignty hinges on the notion that Native American tribes are governments, which are best equipped to advance their nations through self-determination. As such, the United States maintains a government-to-government relationship with nearly 600 Natives tribes. Tribal sovereignty is sometimes misunderstood through the lens of race, when it’s better understood as a way to honor the unique status that Natives hold in the United States. This panel will shed some light on the ways in which tribal sovereignty informs the fight for economic, environmental and gender justice.

Speakers: Carrie Garrow (Mohawk), Andrew Curley (Navajo)