Category: Tulalip News

A new journey for Malory Simpson

By Kalvin Valdillez, Tulalip News

It’s not an implausible statement to say the name Malory Simpson is synonymous with the Tulalip community. Because in more ways than one, Malory is the community. Take a moment and reflect on all the Tribal events held throughout each year and pick your favorite. Chances are high that she was behind the scenes as showrunner, whether the event was cultural, celebratory, or solemn. Actually, scratch that because if we’re being honest, she was more than likely participating during that event as well. Engaging with her community while simultaneously making sure everything went without a hitch.  

There are exceptions to this, however, such as school events or gatherings organized by Tribal families. But say you chose a community-driven event like the Easter Bunny Run or the annual Trunk or Treat event, guess what? Malory did that too. 

As the Tribe’s events manager for the past several years, and founder of the local non-profit organization Together We’re Better, Malory has dedicated her life to the community. And along the way, she rediscovered her love for the Tulalip culture, became a prominent voice in the community, and made invaluable connections throughout the reservation. And as if she wasn’t busy enough, she also etched out some time to earn her bachelor’s degree in Human Services from the Northwest Indian College – no biggie. 

All the long hours put in, experience gained, and knowledge acquired served as preparation for Malory’s new journey, which officially began the moment she accepted the position as Director of both the Legacy of Healing and the Children’s Advocacy Center. Where of course, she will continue to make a positive impact for our community in a very meaningful way. 

Just two weeks in with her title still fresh, Malory agreed to an interview with Tulalip News. In this Q&A, you will learn about who Malory Simpson is, what fuels her passion for community work, her reasons on why she accepted this new role, and her desire to help and support her fellow tribal members. 

Why don’t we start with a little bit about your background?

My Indian name is γʷιψαταλ. That comes from my maternal grandpa’s side. It was my great-great-great-great grandma’s Indian name and then my mom took that name on. And when she passed away, and we had her memorial, it was placed on me. It is an ancestral name, which is really cool.

My English name is Malory Simpson. On my mother’s side of the family, I come from the Gobin, Taylor side. And on my father’s side of the family is the Jones, Simpson side. My parents are Rodney and Kimberly Simpson junior, my grandparents are Betty and George Taylor, and Dawn and Glenn Simpson. 

I am a mother of four. I’ve lived on the reservation my whole life; my kids have been raised out here their whole lives. That’s been kind of fun for us, living by the bay. And being able to drive by the bay every day is just healing in itself.

Let’s speak about your new role. What is your official position?

I am the Director of the Children’s Advocacy Center and the Legacy of Healing. I’m looking forward to learning all aspects of the position. I’m very much a team player, so I would love to be cross trained in all areas so I can help where it’s needed. 

What drew your interest to this position?

I noticed it had been open for a while. I thought they might be having a hard time finding somebody to fit the position. And so, I reached out and asked what the duties are and what’s the schedule look like. In my previous position, I was pulled away from my family on so many evenings and holidays, and you could tell that it was putting a strain on my kids, who were wanting their mom to be home with them.  

And also, just with my personal experience with domestic violence, because I am a DV survivor. And I understand with the Children’s Advocacy side, the dynamics are different. But really it was just my own personal experience with helping people in the community, the way that I have in the past, just by sharing my story. It was a big motivator for me to do it in a more professional setting. I did go to school to get a Human Services degree, and it felt like a good opportunity to actually work in the field I went to school for. 

Can we dig a little deeper into the work you’ve done in the community with Together We’re Better and as the Tribe’s Events Manager?

Prior to becoming the Events Manager, I helped to coordinate community potlucks that we would host every month. And that kind of slowed down because it got really expensive for my cousin and I, who were heading it. Especially after COVID, it really slowed to just the Easter Bunny Run and our Trunk or Treat event. Those are the two huge things we do now, but eventually I think we both want to see the potlucks come back. The purpose behind that was to get our community members together. To bring all the cousins together, who didn’t really know they’re related, and provide a space for them to connect, was really neat to see. 

And then I become the Events Manager. After hosting Together We’re Better events, I was able to do something similar for a profession – put on events by the Tribe that also brought our community together and provided a safe place. And in my eyes, that’s a form of prevention and healing, because some people might be struggling. By providing a meal and planning activities, people can start building relationships in the community. 

As the Events Manager, you had a big hand in the first Domestic Violence Awareness Month Coastal Jam. Can you talk about that ? And did that serve as inspiration to take on the role of director at the Legacy of Healing?

I got to be on the planning team. Being able to do the footwork in the community and having established those relationships, and the network that I built in the process of it all, I was able to provide those connections to the Legacy of Healing. As the events team, we were also able to pitch in on some budgetary needs. So, we were able to purchase the t-shirts for the event, and everybody loves to get a t-shirt. 

I actually got to speak at the event that year, and sometimes it can be really hard to share your story – like how do I want to say this and stay on topic and on subject? But it really is inspiring for other people. There were people who approached me and said they never knew that about me. And my story inspired our Chairwoman to get up and speak too. I will continue to share because of the inspiration it gives other people. 

You are the first Tribal member to hold this position since Jade Carela took over as  the Executive Director of Family Services. Why is it important to have that Tulalip representation?

It is important for Tribal members to take on roles in leadership positions. And it means a lot to our people – to have people in positions who they know and who they can trust. I feel like when they’re more comfortable, they’re more willing to open up, and they’ll want to come forward and share. 

Not only have you been active in the community with TWB and the Events department, but you also have strong cultural ties. Can you talk some more about your background and love for the culture?

I would say it was probably around the time when my mom passed away in 2013 when I became more culturally involved, because I know that’s what she wanted. And before that, we really only practiced smokehouse because my mom was a smokehouse dancer. So, I was looking for other ways to expose my kids to the culture. In 2013, we started attending culture nights. And we all just kind of grew a love for that environment, as far as singing, and my kids liked learning how to dance. 

It wasn’t until 2019 that we got back into practicing our culture, when my daughter Shylah decided to go on Canoe Journey. We kind of weren’t getting along at the time, so I was like okay, well you got to figure it out. And she did. She ended up going with her friend and the friend’s sister, who I trust. And when they all went, we got to go and show our support for them. 

Shortly after, I took the position as Events Manager and part of that is coordinating Salmon Ceremony practice. I got to learn all this history about the songs, why we sing those songs, the order in which we sing them, and learn all the dances as well. Through learning all those things, I grew such a strong love for the culture. I remember asking, where has this been my whole life?

I feel like our culture really centers us. Our culture will always be our home and who we are. And just this last year, I joined the smokehouse myself and have been on that journey. 

We really did find a love, joy, and a connection with each other through the culture, being able to sing and dance together.

It sounds like your mom was the driving force and a big inspiration behind all the good work you’ve done for the community. Do you feel like she would be proud to see how much you’ve grown and that you’re in this position now?

I do. It’s so crazy, but I will probably always crave that. Just to hear her tell me she’s proud of me. I’m going to get emotional, but she has told me from the other side that she’s proud of me, and so I know that she is. And I know my grandparents are too. They were also a big motivator for me. There were so many things my mom wanted to do when she was here, but she didn’t have the confidence to do so. When she left, I knew I had to that for her. 

A lot of the things that I do, that are community based, I do for the love of my mom. Because it was something that she was told she needed to do, but she didn’t know how to do it. That was the motivator for Together We’re Better. And she’s just a motivator for me and my kids, and I know my sisters and their kids – for all of us to continue to be good people, because she was so amazing, so loving, so open and non-judgmental. And I’m not just saying these things because she’s my mom, but because that’s totally who she was.

And she knew that you were a survivor of DV, so coming into this position, that’s a big step for you. That’s got to be something she’s happy to see.

Yes, definitely. She was also a victim of domestic violence and unfortunately it was by my dad. But they always found their way back to each other. And so, whenever I was trying to leave my relationship, she didn’t understand. But with that generation, they always tried to work it out. And I think with every generation that we have coming up after us, and all the education that is available, it changes the way we look at domestic violence and sexual assault. 

Not only are we growing stronger as a people, but we are giving our children a more solid foundation so they’re even stronger than us. I always say that our kids are going to be the changemakers, and with our generation behind them, it allows them to have that voice, knowing we’ll stand by them. 

Kind of like how the generation before us and the boarding school era, how scared they were to say anything and how hush hush everything had to be. It seems like with each new generation that comes, we’re going to keep getting stronger and stronger. 

Now that you’re Director of the CAC and the LOH, what are you most looking forward to?

Moving forward with our team to continue to provide our community with the knowledge that they need. Also, to help maintain safety in our community by providing them with the tools through community outreach and educational outreach. One goal of mine is to bring in more culturally relevant activities and events, maybe some crafts. 

And also, more education. Really getting out there and bringing that knowledge to our community. Because if you’ve been exposed to something your whole life, you don’t really know that there’s a problem. But once they get that education on it, it might raise some red flags and help open their eyes to their situation and to the realization that it may not be the healthiest relationship. 

Are there any specific areas that you are particularly excited to learn more about and get into?

I’m looking forward to learning more about motivational interviewing; to learning more about all of it, especially on the advocacy side. I like to think of myself as having a strong-willed personality, so I think I’d be good at that, advocating for our clients on both sides. As a DV survivor, I understand that side. But the crimes against children, that will be tough and is new to me. So just learning skills on how to manage those situations and being there for our kids and the DV survivors.  

Why is it important to have these two programs on the reservation?

Because we need programs to protect and support our kids. I feel it’s important to have a space where kids feel safe. Our advocates really take the time to walk our clients through the process and get them the services they need. And that goes for both programs. There are so many supports our Legacy of Healing provides, so many services to help DV survivors get out of those domestic violence relationships and get them on their feet after fleeing a dangerous relationship. 

It can be difficult for people to come forward. Do you have any words of reassurance or advice for those individuals?

The only advice that I would say would be to really listen to that gut feeling. It’s really hard because you will have people that will ask you, why don’t you just leave? And there will come a time when you feel like that is what you need to do. Once you have that feeling, then you should act on it. And whenever you’re ready, we’re always here to help. 

I think that it’s important for the community to have a strong Tribal member with auntie vibes in this position. Is that the environment you strive to create, in order for the people to feel comfortable coming to you during their hour of need?

I definitely do. In every position that I’ve held within the Tribe, I’ve tried to build and maintain relationships. My word is all I have and so if I’m telling you that I’m going to do something, I am going to follow through. Because who are we without our word? I always want people to feel comfortable talking to me about anything. I think that’s a really good quality to have. 

And it’s actually funny, I just got my photo and information put up at the center this week. We had somebody here for services, and one of their little guys saw my picture and was like, ‘I think that’s my auntie’. I don’t know who he was, but I thought that was so cute. Because in my photo, I have on my beaded baseball cap and my beaded earrings, so he thought, that must be my auntie. That was so awesome.

For more information on both the Children’s Advocacy Center and the Legacy of healing, Malory submitted a short informational article in this week’s issue of the syəcəb. If you would like to get in contact with the CAC, their number is (360) 716-5437. And to reach the LOH, please contact (360) 716-4100. 

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More on the CAC and the LOH

Submitted by Malory Simpson 

Children’s Advocacy Center 

The first Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) opened in Huntsville, Alabama in 1985 when a local prosecutor, Bud Cramer, decided that there had to be a better way to respond to children who had made a disclosure of sexual abuse. The system was fragmented, children and families were not receiving the support they needed, and children were potentially retraumatized by a process that was supposed to be helping them. He brought together key individuals from law enforcement, child protective services, criminal justice, medical, and mental health to develop a better approach.  The CAC model uses a multidisciplinary team response, pulling the different disciplines involved with investigation, prosecution, advocacy and treatment together to provide seamless, comprehensive services to child victims. As word spread about the success of the model, the Huntsville team started training other communities and the model spread.

The Children’s Advocacy 

Center provides: Mental health services, advocacy, professional forensic interviewing, multi-disciplinary team services, outreach, and education.

Why a Children’s Advocacy Center? Children are among the most vulnerable members of our community. When a child is abused, we are here to provide safety, justice, and healing.

Whom do we serve? The Tulalip Children’s Advocacy Center serves children (and their non-offending family) who are victims of, or witnesses to a crime such as sexual abuse, physical abuse, or severe neglect.

What do we do? Our goal is to streamline the investigative and prosecution process of child abuse cases in a victim-centered, trauma-informed way. We do this by collaborating with those who may be involved in the case such as policing agencies, forensic medical examiners, child welfare, and those involved in the legal system.

Legacy of Healing

The Legacy of Healing provides emotional support, advocacy, and legal assistance to adult victims and survivors of all crimes, including but not limited to:

•  Domestic Violence
• Sexual Assault
• Stalking
• Trafficking
• Survivors of Homicide Victims
• Arson
• Burglary
• Hate Crimes
• Identity Theft
• Elder Abuse

We also help provide Emergency Financial Assistance: Emergency financial assistance is grant-dependent and may be available to clients on a case-by-case basis. All services, including financial assistance, are based on eligibility and current funding availability. 

Assistance may include:

• Basic needs assistance (food, clothing, hygiene, transportation)
• Emergency hotel stays
• Rental and move-in assistance
• Contact Information:

Children’s Advocacy Center 

• 2321 Marine Drive NE
• Tulalip, WA 98271
• 360-716-5437
• childadvocates@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov

Legacy of Healing

• 7720 Waterworks Road
• Tulalip, WA 98271
• 360-716-4100
• loh@tulaliptribes-nsn.gov