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A member of the Seneca Nation and a Lakota youth call for equitable child welfare for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
W hat story most effectively communicates the unfortunate realities for American Indians encountering the child welfare system in the United States? Should I tell the story of a grandmother who called my office at the National Indian Child Welfare Association last week because she was about to lose contact with her grandchildren, who were being adopted out of foster care? Maybe, I thought, I should tell the story of my friend John, who passed away last year after a lifetime of searching for his tribal identity. The last time I saw him, his face brightened and he said, "Did you hear I got my enrollment papers? Now no one can say I'm not really Mohawk." John, too, had been taken from his birth family and placed in foster care with white parents. I thought of the hundreds of calls to our office from parents, relatives, and care providers; the dozens of reviews of tribal child welfare case records that we do as we consult with and train tribes on strengthening their services; and the court cases involving Native children in the child welfare system that we follow even to the US Supreme Court. Every day I witness child welfare systems, which are meant to protect children, ignoring the long-term negative consequences of unnecessary removals or inappropriate placements of children in foster care.
As I pondered this challenge, I realized that mine was not the voice to anchor this narrative. I decided to reach out to Daryle Conquering Bear Crow, a youth whose firsthand experience in foster care could inform the dialogue in a powerful way. I first met Daryle when he began interning at our office in 2013. I had heard of his advocacy as an American Indian youth and was delighted that wemighthave animpactonhis career by teaching him about how improved child welfare practices can protect children and preserve cultural identity. This is his story.
Daryle's Story
Daryle was twelve years old and getting ready to go to his first sweat lodge, which is a purification ritual to prepare for participation in the Sun Dance-a dance performed by members of his tribe...