The Indian Child Welfare Act and the African American Tribe: Facing the Adoption Crisis Article
Date of Publication:
Recommended Citation
Cynthia Hawkins DeBose, The Indian Child Welfare Act and the African American Tribe: Facing the Adoption Crisis, 36 Brandeis Journal of Family Law 201 (1998)Clicking on the button will copy the full recommended citation.
This article examines the application of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 to past and present law and policy relating to adoptions by and of African Americans. Potential solutions to the adoption crisis within the African American community are addressed. Currently, adoption is based upon the model of the nuclear family. This article discusses why this is not the appropriate model for all children. Rather, the “extended family” model -- like that found in the ICWA -- for adoption is the most widely applicable model for African American children.
