Update
Honoring Heritage, Upholding Rights
Published
| November is Native American Heritage Month—a reminder that culture and family are deeply connected. For Native children, that connection is meant to be protected by the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA), a landmark law to keep children linked to their tribes and traditions when child welfare systems become involved. Unfortunately, in Virginia, centuries of racist policies have worked to prevent ICWA from ensuring that all Native families and tribes in the Commonwealth have a voice in decisions about their children’s care and future. Due to these policies — belatedly being addressed — only a handful of tribes in Virginia have federal recognition. VPLC is working with legislators, tribal leaders, parents, and child and family advocates to make statutory changes to fix this gap and ensure that children of all Virginia’s Native American tribes — federally recognized or not — will receive these protections. Virginia’s statutes should also ensure that heritage and belonging matter. |
