TAHLEQUAH, Okla — Harvard has honored Cherokee Nation for its ONE FIRE Victim Services during its 2021 Honoring Nations Awards.
Cherokee Nation was one of the six tribes nationwide to receive the honors. ONE FIRE Victim Services helps victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and dating violence across the tribe’s 14-county reservation. ONE FIRE stands for "Our Nation Ending Fear, Intimidation, Rape and Endangerment."
Every year, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government is administered by the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and celebrates outstanding examples of tribes that help expand the capacities of Native nations.
Since its establishment in 2013, Cherokee Nation's ONE FIRE office has supported around 2,000 victims. According to officials, since the COVID-19 pandemic, calls to ONE FIRE increased by 25%.
“The Harvard Honoring Nations award is a tremendous acknowledgment of the mission and vision of Cherokee Nation’s ONE FIRE Victim Services Program,” said Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. “When ONE FIRE was established, there were few resources for survivors of domestic violence in their time of crisis. Today, ONE FIRE has proven to be an innovative template that other Indian nations can replicate to better meet the needs of their citizens in culturally-based ways. Cherokee Nation’s commitment to better protect women, children, and families within our reservation is stronger than ever. We know that when the Cherokee people determine the best ways to assist our fellow citizens, it strengthens our sovereignty and leads to positive outcomes.”
ONE FIRE's mission is to empower survivors who seek help and provide them with the necessary tools to rebuild their lives. ONE FIRE provides comprehensive services and access to resources such as law enforcement protection, legal analysis, housing aid, job placements, educational needs, health care, and counseling.
“ONE FIRE Victims Services is one of our most important programs that is working day in and day out to help families affected by domestic violence in our communities,” said Deputy Chief Bryan Warner. “The staff at our ONE FIRE Victim Services are transforming the way we understand and respond to domestic violence. These women and men come to work every day, and often after hours, to assist survivors through some of their most harrowing life experiences. I am truly proud of the staff and this program, and I am happy to see it getting the recognition it deserves for the important services it provides.”
Officials say ONE Fire has supported a total of 334 new clients over the past year and continues serving another 200 clients from the year 2020. ONE FIRE relocated its headquarters to a more secure location in Tahlequah to expand its reach and to meet the immediate needs of those in crisis. They invested millions of dollars in the new transitional living center in Stilwell. ONE FIRE also secured a multimillion-dollar federal grant recently that will be used to help more victims of domestic violence.
“ONE FIRE victim services has been providing support and services to victims of domestic violence – both Indian and non-Indian – throughout the Cherokee Nation Reservation for years,” said Cherokee Nation Attorney General Sara Hill. “I’m proud that this program, which is a critical piece of Cherokee Nation’s work to end domestic violence in our communities, has been recognized for high honors by the Harvard Honoring Nations program. Our incredibly hard-working and creative staff are tackling one of the greatest challenges facing our state, and are improving the lives of all Oklahomans in the process.”
Each of the six tribes went through three rounds of evaluation out of 70 applicants who represented 45 tribes. They were honored for exercising their self-determination, the programs implemented effective solutions to universal governmental challenges in the areas of education, justice, energy independence, land management, natural resource management, and taxation, all while facing the COVID-19 pandemic challenges.
“New stories of success emerge from Indian Country daily. These are stories that need to be told, heard, and told again to assist tribal nations to learn from each other’s successes and to teach our non-Native neighbors about the extraordinary and applicable lessons Indian Country has to offer local governments everywhere,” said Megan Minoka Hill, director of the awards program.
For more information about the award, click here.
For more information on Cherokee Nation’s ONE FIRE Victims Services, visit onefire.cherokee.org.
