metalheadsforblacklivesmatterI know I already made a post about this. But ICWA is LITERALLY being challenged by a white couple that wants to adopt indigenous children to erase their culture and Christianize them. The tribe, whom has a say in who can take their children, is like "Nah, we don't want our youth Christianized like you tride last time"
And the lawyer that's helping the white couple try to overturn ICWA (so that they can erase the cultures of indigenous children) is doing it pro-bono (which means he's not charging the couple anything).
AND that lawyer is a big time lawyer whose clients are usually oil and gas industries. He's literally fighting for indigenous children to be ripped from their tribes and culture so there's less indigenous people to protest big oil destroying their sacred land.
-fae
If anyone's wondering about how they can help, I'm not sure if this will have a direct impact on this case directly but NICWA is an organization that defends Native American children. You can donate here:
I still think that a key function of the way we think of the concepts "adult" and "child" is to separate the human population into "people who deserve autonomy but no protection" and "people who deserve protection but no autonomy" and in the process dehumanize both groups of people. We ignore the fact that all people need both autonomy and protection, and that our society could easily be set up to provide everyone a healthy mix of both.
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This Thanksgiving, if you’ve ever once in your life claimed Indian heritage, give a couple bucks to NICWA. Im not here to argue with you about whether or not you have NDN heritage, but if you truly do, the reason why you know nothing about it is because of your ancestor being taken away and colonized by the methods the Indian Child Welfare Act protects against. Right now ICWA is under attack by a horrifying court case that threatens to undo all the recent strides we’ve made in tribal sovereignty and NDN cultural preservation by eliminating NDN children.
The court case is called Brackeen v. Haaland and is spearheaded by a literal Oil & Gas lawyer named Matthew McGill that has succeeded in destroying the sovereignty of Tribal lands for pipeline construction and has even tried to disestablish entire reservations for his Big Oil paycheck. Their case is a disgusting attack with no legal merit, but still may pass in their favour because of the greed of our Supreme Court. Here’s the most important snippet from that link.
Do not let them trick you into thinking this is to protect NDN children. Child abuse is a widespread US problem and the federal and state governments have never handled it with the best interests of children in mind, let alone NDN children. This is why I am offering up a link to NICWA, a program that ACTUALLY intervenes in cases of child abuse among the NDN community, while allowing the child to remain an established member of the tribal nation. This program is led by tribal leaders who know the communities they are operating in intimately, and therefore can actually act on what is best for the child.
If you are concerned about NDN Child welfare, DO NOT support the striking down of ICWA and instead support public programs on tribal lands and tribal child welfare programs like NICWA.
The Indian Child Welfare Act.
Youve hopefully been hearing about how the supreme court will hear the case of Brackeen v Haaland where the validity of ICWA will be decided on November 9th.
Here is a helpful breakdown on why it's so important.
(this includes food, healthcare, and our sovereign rights)
The Lakota People's Law Project petition.
.
As a native who didn't qualify for tribal protections because of tribal blood quantum laws, when I was separated from my family I wasnt placed with natives. I was placed with homophobic white christians. I'm nearly 30 now and still trying to reconnect with the culture and family I was cut off from.
ICWA fucking matters. We need to protect it. Kids need their family, they need their people. And right now they need you too.
We had until October 11th to find a replacement roommate. We couldn't do that in time though so now we gotta move because we don't qualify for the apartment on our own.
We weren't planning on doing this so we dont have money set aside for it, all our money has gone to bills or car maintenance.
So, I'd really really appreciate if y'all would help me raise some last minute funds for storage, moving costs, and a deposit for a new place.
We have until Oct 31st to have our stuff gone.
Pay//pal: here
Ven//mo: CEOofAntifa
Cash.app: CEOofAntifa
last update: Oct 29
If you see this, reblog
Hey since it’s Indigenous Peoples’ Day, if you want to know the indigenous people native to the land you currently live on, you can go to Native Land Digital (link embedded) and they have information on all of the Americas and Australia, as well as smaller pockets of information (where applicable) elsewhere. It’s pretty accessible and can show you territories, languages, and related treaties. I’d recommend anyone to check it out, particularly Americans and Canadians, cause this level of local history isn’t often taught. (If you get lost on the map/confused of its orientation, click “settler labels” in the bottom right hand corner, which should give you the current map Settler-made lines)
For Indigenous People’s Day I’d also like to throw out my own tribe’s water project - it’s becoming increasingly vital as protections surrounding Navajo land get stripped away & reservations are stripped of sovereignty, as the US government has poisoned our water before and will likely do so again without a second thought. Please consider donating to the Navajo Water Project, or giving this a reblog if you’d like. A’he’ee, thank you!
the north star
edit - this is now available on redbubble as prints, poster, stickers, smartphone cases, drawstring bag, and notebook.
It’s Idigenous Peoples’ Day
About ICWA
The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted in 1978 in response to a crisis affecting American Indian and Alaska Native children, families, and tribes. Studies revealed that large numbers of Native children were being separated from their parents, extended families, and communities by state child welfare and private adoption agencies. In fact, research found that 25%–35% of all Native children were being removed; of these, 85% were placed outside of their families and communities—even when fit and willing relatives were available.
At the time, not only was ICWA vitally needed, but it was crafted to address some of the most longstanding and egregious removal practices specifically targeting Native children. Among its added protections for Native children, ICWA requires caseworkers to make several considerations when handling an ICWA case, including:
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The Protect ICWA Campaign was established by the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the National Congress of American Indians, the Association on American Indian Affairs, and the Native American Rights Fund.
Together, we work to serve and support Native children, youth, and
families through upholding the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The
Campaign works to inform policy, legal, and communications strategies
with the mission to uphold and protect ICWA.
Sign up for the Protect ICWA newsletterFollow @protecticwa on InstagramFollow @protecticwa on Twitter
U.S. Supreme Court Asked to Review Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals En Banc Decision in Brackeen v. Haaland ICWA Case
Following a decision in Brackeen v. Haaland Indian Child
Welfare Act (ICWA) case from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals en banc
(reviewed before all sitting judges within the federal circuit), four of
the parties in the case filed petitions asking the United States
Supreme Court to review the decision.
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https://www.change.org/p/protect-the-indian-child-welfare-act