UNDER ATTACK: ICWA AWAITS SUPREME COURT DECISION
Passed in 1978, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) protects American Indian and Alaska Native kids in child welfare proceedings by keeping them in the care of their extended family or Tribes whenever possible.
In Haaland v. Brackeen, a group of white adoptive parents, backed by a powerful law firm and right-wing groups with ties to Big Oil, want the Supreme Court to dismantle ICWA. If successful, the challenge will endanger the health and well-being of Native children, along with Tribal sovereignty as a whole.
Credit: Gregg Deal
TAKE ACTION: SIGN THE PETITION TO PROTECT ICWA
ICWA ensures that Native children and their communities are protected instead of ripped apart. Before ICWA was passed, an alarming 85% of Native children up for adoption were placed outside of their families and communities, even when fit and willing relatives were available. ICWA was a direct response to this family separation crisis and 200 years of forced assimilation and cultural genocide.
ICWA gives Native children a connection to the people and places they come from, while protecting their identity, familial network and sense of belonging. Sign the petition to #ProtectICWA.
SIGN THE PETITION
NUMBERS TO KNOW
25-35%
Before ICWA, in the 1970s, 25%-35% of all Native children were separated from their parents and communities by state child welfare and private adoption agencies.
44 YEARS
Since its implementation in 1978, ICWA has been considered the gold standard of child welfare policy by advocates and leaders in the space.
497 TRIBAL NATIONS
Supporters of ICWA include 497 Tribal Nations and 26 child welfare orgs. Opponents include a right-wing think tank and the law firm that represented the Dakota Access Pipeline.
ICWA RESOURCES: LEARN MORE, DO MORE
National Indian Child Welfare Association
Get involved with NICWA, which works to eliminate Native child abuse and neglect by strengthening families, Tribes and the laws that protect them.
“Opinion: I’m a Jersey girl born into the Salt Clan. My Navajo identity was taken from me”
In this CNN op-ed, Hilary C. Tompkins, a member of the Navajo Nation, describes being ripped from her family and culture before ICWA was implemented.
Protecting ICWA: A Breakdown
Learn the facts, what’s at stake, and how to take action with the Protect ICWA campaign.
“A Right-Wing Think Tank Is Trying to Bring Down the Indian Child Welfare Act. Why?”
This article in The Nation shines a light on the Koch brothers, Big Oil and others attempting to dismantle ICWA.
