In honor of Native American Heritage Month, the Harris County Robert W. Hainsworth Law Library is proud to feature a special traveling exhibit: 100 Years After the Indian Citizenship Act: The Continuing Struggle to Guarantee Voting Rights to Native Americans.
Read moreLifting Native American Culture and Voices
The Friday after Thanksgiving is National Native American Heritage Day, although it is perhaps more commonly thought of as Black Friday, a coincidence that some have rebuked, as it links a reverent celebration of Native peoples and culture with the start of the holiday shopping season and the busiest most consumer-driven day of the year. Some have suggested alternatives to the rampant consumerism of the day: acknowledge native land, explore the many digital exhibits available online at the National Museum of the American Indian, or lift up indigenous voices by learning more about the continuing struggle to give Native Americans equal access at the ballot box. Review the links provided within.
Read moreNational Native American Heritage Month
National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated in November each year.
Read moreBrackeen v. Haaland: What Does the Future Hold for the Indian Child Welfare Act?
November is both National Native American Heritage Month and National Adoption Month. Tomorrow, November 9, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a case that has implications related to both, Brackeen v. Haaland, which concerns the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 (ICWA), 25 U.S.C. §§ 1901-1963. The ICWA governs the removal, placement, and return of Native American children in child welfare proceedings for both foster care and adoption. At issue on appeal is the constitutionality of the act’s child placement preferences, as set forth in 25 U.S.C. § 1915. This blog sets forth the ICWA’s child placement preferences and a brief procedural history of the case.
Read moreThanksgiving: A Brief History
We’re all familiar with the traditions and trappings of Thanksgiving Day in the United States and the popular narrative behind the reason for its celebration. 2021 marks the 400th anniversary of the harvest feast shared by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag in Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1621, the event many Americans consider to be the “first” Thanksgiving. However, the history of Thanksgiving as a national holiday on the fourth Thursday of November has historical significance for many reasons. Here is a brief history of the establishment of a national holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States.
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