GRAND Magazine - Summer 2023 - 25

grandfamilies
Congress passed ICWA
into law in 1978 when
the federal government
acknowledged that at least
25% to 30% of all Native
American children were
being taken from their
homes and up to 85% of
those children were permanently
removed from their
communities and adopted
into non-native families.
Taking our children from
us and permanently severing
their connections to
tribes and communities
has a devastating effect.
Imagine one-third of the
children in your immediate
and extended family disappearing,
never to return. Native commuBut
now, Brackeen v. Haaland, a case brought
before the U.S. Supreme Court, challenges ICWA and
the protections it provides for children, families, and
communities. Simply, this case has its origin with
non-native families wishing to adopt native children
and seeking to overturn the protections ICWA has
in place for those children, families, and tribes. It's
critical that grandparents and other family members
maintain the right to keep their children within
their families while providing those children with
safe, loving, stable, and nurturing homes. Protecting
ICWA requires us all to stand together against the
special interest groups and adoption agencies who
have their own agendas, which have nothing to do
with protecting children or preserving families.
"
Fall 2021 cover of GRAND
Magazine - Click cover to read
nities have been dealing with the effects of lost children
for decades. The resulting incidents of emotional,
social, and behavioral challenges can be tied directly
to historical trauma. The intent of the Indian Child
Welfare Act is to protect the best interest of native
children and promote the stability of native families
and tribes. It ensures that we can keep our native communities
intact. Keeping families and communities
intact for children who cannot live with their parents
helps children feel loved, have less social, emotional,
and behavioral health issues and maintain their close
connections with siblings and other members of the
community who are important to them.
25 GRAND Summer 2023
It's critical that grandparents and
other family members maintain the
right to keep their children within
their families while providing those children
with safe, loving, stable, and nurturing homes.
I am thankful every day that my grandson came home to me so
that I have been able to give him a strong base of support for his
future. He knows he is loved and has maintained all his ties with
close family members. We have come together as a group of people
he knows he can depend on and who are always there for him. If we
want children who have the foundation to be strong future leaders,
they must have the chance to remain close to those who love them
most. Kin who will care for them and tell them of their histories and
traditions should be a right for each and every child.
To learn more about the
Indian Child Welfare Act and
how children fare better with
kinship caregivers, here are
some excellent resources:
Children Thrive
in Grandfamilies
National Indian Child
Welfare Association -
About ICWA
The Protect ICWA
Campaign
American Indian
and Alaska Native
Grandfamilies:
Helping Children Thrive
Through Connection to
Family and Cultural Identity
Robyn Wind is the
GRAND Voices Support
Coordinator for
Generations United.
Robyn has worked for
nearly 15 years in Indian
Child Welfare, primarily
in foster care leadership.
She served for several
years as the Chair of the
Oklahoma Indian Child
Welfare Association's
Substitute Care Committee. Additionally, Robyn
is a caregiver for her grandchild and mother. She
lives in Oklahoma and holds tribal citizenship with
the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
"
GRAND Magazine - Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRAND Magazine - Summer 2023
