State Bar of Arizona Indian Law Section presents Rodney B. Lewis Award

Emma Hughes

Gila River Indian News

The Indian Law Section of the State Bar of Arizona presented Rodina Cave Parnell, Executive Director of the American Indian Law Center, Inc., with the Rodney B. Lewis Award of Excellence during their annual convention held at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass on June 24.

The Rodney B. Lewis Award was established in 2018 to honor the legacy of the beloved Gila River Indian Community member and first Native American to successfully argue before the Supreme Court and advocate for tribal water rights. This award recognizes attorneys who embody “honesty, integrity, courage, grace, dignity, and respect” in their service to Indian Country.

Parnell, Quechua (Peruvian Indian), is a former Director of the Pre-Law Summer Institute for Americans and Alaskan Natives and practiced law in Arizona and New Mexico, representing tribes and tribal entities in legal and administrative proceedings in environmental matters and on several large breach-of-trust cases in federal courts. In 2013-2015, she served, by presidential appointment, as Senior Policy Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs in the U.S. Department of the Interior.

“I don’t think that we truly understand how much work that he has done and the influence that he has had on this Community and the ripples that go out from here,” said Parnell during her acceptance speech. “Any connection to Rod Lewis is a true honor to me, especially given the work that I’m doing now.”

Gov. Stephen Roe Lewis was also in attendance for the award presentation. “It’s an honor on behalf of my family and also the Gila River Indian Community that they’re through the Rod Lewis Award, that they’re keeping my father’s vision and legacy alive,” said Gov. Lewis. “He was all about supporting and mentoring and investing in the next generations of Native attorneys, supporting them coming up through the ranks, but also, you know, providing them with the resources and the tools that they need to be successful.”

Rod Lewis was part of the first class of the Pre-Law Summer Institute (PLSI) in 1967 and continued to advocate for the program, an intensive two-month program at the University of New Mexico, that prepares American Indian and Alaska Native individuals for the rigors of law school by essentially replicating their first semester.

Gov. Lewis added, “He epitomizes the potential that he had that he used to bring that back to his people, to his community, and with that powerful example, that just shows how powerful it is to keep on investing in these next generations, because we see when we invest in these next generations of Native attorneys, we see the amazing work that they do to protect tribal sovereignty at all levels.”