Last fall semester, students and I tracked the Haaland v. Brackeen case being heard by the Supreme Court. We discussed the atrocities of the “boarding school” era, and the history of the Indian Child Welfare Act, as well as some of the challenges the law has faced in previous years.
One of the things we read toward the end of the semester that was really helpful was this blog post breaking down the then-current legal opinions on the case. In short, the prospect of ICWA being upheld at that point seemed grim.
But today there was good news in the policy world, and ICWA was upheld. You can read a breakdown of the Supreme Court decision here, written by the same person referenced above. It is interesting to see how some of the justices shifted their opinion over the course of the past 6 months, proof that advocacy is important and that we need to be able to link outcomes to policy. This article from Native News Online discussing the decision will be one I use in the coming fall semester. It is a good discussion and overview from the people who are the closest to the issue and a great reminder that policy shapes the lives of people, and a nation’s policy says who and what we care about (and who and what we don’t).
Teaching (toward) the Beloved Community 