The passage of the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978 was an important step in repairing the harm done to Indian families for centuries before. As ICWA now faces a challenge in the Supreme Court, we hear from two indigenous advocates, Ann Haines Holy Eagle and Melissa Sampson-Grier, about the history behind this legislation and the ongoing trauma experienced by indigenous families because of the lack of accountability in child welfare systems. They call on us to pivot beyond just acknowledging the history of harm – and move towards open truth-telling about the impacts on families today and shared commitments to re-indigenize communities through community-based efforts like the Wolves Den. They remind us that true prevention requires that we share power and listen to those who are directly impacted by the policies and practices we implement. Learn next steps you can take to pivot in this direction.

https://www.icwlc.org/