Coalition for the Protection of Indian Children and Families (?)

[Laurel]

The name seems Orwellian to me: they want to "protect Indian families" by adopting their children. They're unhappy about the "baby Veronica" case, and therefore want to amend the ICPA. Despite a notice that people who talk disrespectfully about any race will be "BANNED," there are a lot of hateful, racist comments about Native Americans on some of the posts.

https://www.facebook.com/coalitionforindianchildren

Changes they want to make:

http://coalitionforindianchildren.org/amending-icwa/

I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment on those, really.

Some FB friends of mine did some research (can't find it right now, but I will) showing this "coalition" is in bed with/a creation of adoption-related groups, like supporters of maternal homes for unwed mothers (yeah, those still exist). Many of the people in it are friends of the couple who lost Veronica to her father.

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/08/baby_veronica_returns_to_her_biological_father_affirming_icwa_south_carolina_s_supreme_court_made_the_right_decision_.html

As an adoptee who's been observing/reading about the adoption industry for some time, I don't trust anyone who wants to "free up more babies for adoption." No matter how much they talk about helping children, their motives are never, ever pure. But I am ignorant about the ICPA. Your thoughts, please?

[educatedindian]

This bunch is tied to one of the leading anti Indian racist groups in the country.

http://coalitionforindianchildren.org/our-members/founding-members/

The founder of CPICF is William Allen, a token Black on the civil rights commission under the Reagan-Bush I administrations.

Allen spoke at conferences for Citizens Equal Rts Alliance. Yes, Orwellian, lying, distorted names like this are a common and very clever tactic of anti Indian groups. The central mission of CERA is ending or limiting the power of all tribal govts.

Both CERA and CPICF like to use minority tokens as frontmen to confuse the issue, but their membership is overwhelmingly white racist.

Another leader of CPICF is Johngton Moore of the adoption agency Home Forever. This is a fundamentalist agency that seems to want to use adoption largely to turn as many orphans as possible into their kind of Christians.

Then there's Lisa Morris, wife of the late Roland Morris. Morris was the NDN token frontman for the white supremacist group CERA.

There's also Lisa Munday, an organizer for the Veronica case, who doesn't seem too aware of who she's involved with. The Veronica case is being used by these anti Indian groups to undermine ICWA and other laws that add to tribal authority. The organizers claim thousands of petition sigers, but  the forum for CPICF shows a grand total of 14 members, with literally not a single post that is not an intro by the forum admin.

A lot of what the CPICF wants is pretty scary. They want to be able to take an NDN child away without the birth mother even consenting in court. They want to limit right to revokefor the birth parent to only 30 days. That's far less than for other adoptions. IOW they generally want to make it easier to take away NDN children.

[Laurel]

I was getting those kinds of vibes, but wanted proof. Thanks!

I'm pretty sure there are states where first mothers don't get thirty days, but maybe the laws have changed? No consent in court boggled my mind, and the one about parents not having to prove they speak English because someone might find that insulting (or whatever) really bothered me too. And yes, it's obvious they're all about getting Native babies and children. Although why they'd want the offspring of such...I'll just say "horrible people" is beyond me. I guess they still think they can "kill the Indian and save the man"?

[Diana]

Isn't David Yeagley also involved with that cera group?? I believe he has spoken several times at their yearly convention (that's what they call it) in Washington DC. I've read where cera prowls the Republican Senate halls looking for supporters. They are avoided like the plague and are considered a joke by all. I'm not at all surprised that this group has hitched their wagon to one of the largest anti-sovereignty group in the country.


Lim lemtsh,

Diana

[earthw7]

As a tribal member i get calls in my office all the time of our people who have been adopted or fostered out
to Non-Native, they are lost people, never fit in and never find that peace in their lives, i do my best to
help them find a place back among our people. I am so aganist non-natives adopting our people.

[Laurel]

I don't hold with cross-cultural/international adoptions of any kind, at all, ever. Now, if the cultures/races/countries/nations with less power were adopting the children of those with more power, I might change my mind...but that hardly ever happens, does it?

It's tough enough getting adopted within one's own culture.

[milehighsalute]

I don't hold with cross-cultural/international adoptions of any kind, at all, ever. Now, if the cultures/races/countries/nations with less power were adopting the children of those with more power, I might change my mind...but that hardly ever happens, does it?

It's tough enough getting adopted within one's own culture.

what do you think of south dakota redifining neglect to include poverty?

[Laurel]

I'm ignorant about it, and will have to do some research.

In the meantime, on the face of it, I think that sucks.

[Odelle]

The response to Baby Veronica is typical, I guess. It's a heart-breaking story for everyone involved, especially the kid, but situations like this are exactly why we need to have laws in place: you don't get to win just because you have a sadder story. One way to look at this story would be to imagine how people would feel if, instead of being a member of the Cherokee Nation, the dad was a member of Russia. I bet there's still be plenty of outrage about it. But what if the adopting family and the mother were all Russian and the dad was American? You better damn well believe the press here in the States would sing a totally different tune then. How dare anyone try to remove an infant American citizen from her rightful country?

[earthw7]

The child is with her Father where she belongs

[Laurel]

Amen, and thank goodness.