Law | Opinion

Mona Evans: Creek Nation fails to support Indian Child Welfare Act

Monday, March 27, 2017

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Mona Evans of the Strong Families Home Visiting Project pens a letter to leaders of the Muscogee Nation, urging them to get more involving in Indian Child Welfare Act cases:

I began working with a citizen of your nation in October 2014 as a home visitor, teaching culturally specific parenting lessons and parent advocacy as Allen Kepa underwent the scrutiny and process of parent/child reunification with the Alameda County Child Welfare system in Oakland, California.
Also in late 2014, I made first contact with Muscogee Nation and Tribal Enrollment in order to make the request that Allen Kepa’s infant daughter be enrolled. Through this three-year process, I have made contact, asked questions, and witnessed Allen Kepa making contact and communicating his requests for support in his case to have his daughter returned to him. Muscogee Nation continually expressed that in no way were they planning to intervene in this Native Child Welfare Case.
This past Monday morning (March 13) in a courtroom in Alameda County I witnessed three non-Native attorneys and a non-Native judge make the decision to end reunification and move towards terminating Allen Kepa’s parental rights. It was a broken day for Native American children and Native American Parents. The Honorable Judge Ursula Jones spoke about this child not considering her father as family. Heartbreaking. I realize that Muscogee Nation and the tribes across Turtle Island do not have the resources to send emissaries for every Indian Child Welfare Act case across the land. But we contacted you and alerted you that California Indian Legal Services could step in on your behalf and send someone to intervene. Your response was no.

Read More on the Story:
Mona M. Evans: An Indian Child Welfare Act Disappointment: Lack of Support from Tribe (Indian Country Media Network 3/25)