Rosa Alvarez, a Yaqui Indian Native American, was protected under Indian Child Welfare Act, passed by Congress in 1978 to help keep Native American children close to their families and traditional heritage. (Joshua Lott / The Washington Post via Getty Images) |
BY CARRIE N. BAKER | The U.S. Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in a case, challenging the constitutionality of the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).
The lead plaintiffs, the Brackeens, are a well-to-do white, evangelical Texan couple, who are seeking to adopt a Navaho girl against the wishes of her relatives, who want to adopt her themselves. Among other arguments, the Brackeens allege reverse racism—that the law discriminates against them based on their race in violation of the equality guarantees of the U.S. Constitution. But this is just the most recent chapter in a long history of white people taking Native children from their parents, tribes and cultures.
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