Indian Child Welfare Law Under Attack

The latest edition of our NARF Legal Review features a story on the current attack on the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). ICWA was enacted in 1978. Congress took this action when they realized that Native American children were being removed from their families and communities at an alarming rate.

By the time that Congress recognized the problem in 1978, more than a quarter of all Native children had been separated from their families. ICWA was created to improve the handling of Indian child welfare cases and their outcomes. The law has been called the gold standard of child welfare practices. But in recent years it has come under attack. Learn more about these attacks, and how NARF is responding, in the latest edition of the NARF Legal Review.

Celebrate Giving Tuesday as a NARF Ambassador

The Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, Giving Tuesday is a social occasion when we come together to celebrate generosity and kindness. This Giving Tuesday, can you give us a little of your time? Can you be an ambassador for NARF and the issues that we work on? With Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving both happening this month, it is a great time to raise awareness about our work to fight injustices on behalf of Native American tribes and people.

We appreciate any efforts to get the word out. You can send an email to your friends, post on your social media, host a fundraiser on NARF's behalf for Giving Tuesday. Let people know about the work that we are doing, invite them to check out our website or follow us on Facebook. Challenge them to make a difference this Native American Heritage Month with a Giving Tuesday donation. It is hard for folks to know who they should trust, but hearing from a friend like you about the important work we are doing (and that you support) can be a great way to get the word out.

The Impacts of US Boarding School Policy

In 2013, the NARF Legal Review featured an article on the history of the boarding schools for American Indian children. We described how this US policy was cultural genocide, designed to erase Native tribes and cultures. More recently, NARF issued a call for researchers to review what has been written about the impacts of the US boarding school policy.

The results of this research, Trigger Points: Current State of Research on History, Impacts, and Healing Related to the United States' Industrial/Boarding School Policy, was just released. This report helps identify the abuses that took place, why they still matter today, and how recovery can and is being accomplished.

Save the Date: May 8, 2020
NARF 50th Anniversary Commemoration

You are invited to the NARF 50th Anniversary Gala to be held May 8, 2020, at The Gaylord Rockies Resort and Convention Center, Aurora, CO.

Are you, your company, or your tribe interested in being an event sponsor? We have a wide range of opportunities for sponsorship.

Event details will be available at www.narf.org/50thgala/