Rally to Save the Indian Child Welfare Act

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Intertribal Student Council hosting event November 9

Author:
Press Pool
Publish date:
Nov 7, 2022

(File photo: Vincent Schilling, Indian Country today)

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Intertribal Student Council hosting event November 9

News Release

University of Wisconsin - Green Bay Intertribal Student Council

UWGB’s Intertribal Student Council invites you to attend the Rally to Save the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) on Wednesday, November 9th at 5:00 PM in the cafeteria of the Norbert Hill Center.

On Wednesday, November 9th at 5:00 pm the US Supreme Court will begin hearing arguments in what will surely be a landmark case for Indigenous Sovereignty with national implications. The Oneida Nation of Wisconsin, as one of just three intervening tribal nations, is at the center of Haaland v. Brackeen. In Indian Country, there has been an overwhelming outpouring of support for the Indian Child Welfare Act. Four hundred ninety-seven tribal nations have signed onto an amicus brief supporting the Indian Child Welfare Act.

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The Rally to Save the Indian Child Welfare Act is being held to educate about the Indian Child Welfare Act, the impacts it has had locally, and the Oneida Nation of Wisconsin’s involvement in the case before the Supreme Court. The Native American Rights Fund has referred to Haaland v. Brackeen as “potentially the most important Indian law case in a generation”. Without the Indian Child Welfare Act, Indigenous children will once, after 43 years, be separated from their families by state and private agencies to be placed with non-Indigenous families, disconnecting children from their communities and cultures. The sovereignty of tribal nations would be rolled back, limiting their ability to help families reunify and place Indigenous children in the foster care system with relatives or into Indigenous homes, maintaining cultural connections in the lives of Indigenous youth.

To open the event Jerry Hill, Chief Counsel for The Oneida Nation’s Legal Department, will begin by explaining what the Indian Child Welfare Act is, why it was enacted, and the Oneida Nation’s involvement in Haaland v. Brackeen. Violet Blake will speak about the personal impact the Indian Child Welfare Act has had on her and her family's lives. Paul Ninham, former Oneida Nation Councilman and former Vice-Chairman of the Native American Rights Fund Board of Directors, will discuss the impact the Indian Child Welfare Act has had in Oneida and the importance of cultural connection in the lives of Indigenous youth.

This event is being co-hosted by JOSHUA, Green Bay Democratic Socialists of America, Party for Socialism and Liberation, and Building Unity.