BirSaNN Posted November 7, 2022 Posted November 7, 2022 (edited) Congress passed a 1978 law to stop the forced assimilation of Native American children. Now the law is being challenged by non-Native families who say its focus on race violates the 14th Amendment. WASHINGTON – Some of Autumn Adams' most vivid childhood memories involve sitting in a courtroom or talking with child protective services after her father died, her mother was deemed unfit to be a parent and she was thrust suddenly into foster care. Adams was 9 years old. Looking back, she partly credits a 1978 law setting special rules for custody of Native American children for helping her navigate the trauma of that time. The law, which prioritizes Native American families for the custody of Native children, meant she was able to keep her bond with the Yakama Nation even as the rest of her world fell apart. Adams was placed with an aunt and then a grandmother, both of whom lived on the Yakama Reservation in Washington state. "Having that connection not only to my family but to my culture through my family members, I was able to pull through one of the darkest and most trying times in my life," said Adams, now in her second year of law school at Arizona State University. "I was able to rely on my culture to pull me through and keep me grounded." The Supreme Court will hear arguments Wednesday in a case challenging that law, the Indian Child Welfare Act, which Congress approved to stop a decadeslong practice of attempting to assimilate Native American children by removing them from their tribes and placing them with non-Native families or in boarding schools. link" https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2022/11/07/supreme-court-arguments-native-american-adoption-icwa/8265628001/ Edited November 8, 2022 by BirSaNN
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