This Land Crooked Media

ALM – as referred to in court documents – is a Navajo and Cherokee toddler. When he was a baby, a white couple from the suburbs of Dallas wanted to adopt him, but a federal law said they couldn’t. So they sued. Today, the lawsuit doesn’t just impact the future of one child, or even the future of one law. It threatens the entire legal structure defending Native American rights. 
In season 2 of This Land, host Rebecca Nagle investigates how the far right is using Native children to quietly dismantle American Indian tribes. 
Tune in beginning August 23rd.

ALM – as referred to in court documents – is a Navajo and Cherokee toddler. When he was a baby, a white couple from the suburbs of Dallas wanted to adopt him, but a federal law said they couldn’t. So they sued.

Show Notes:

This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/

Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/

Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/

Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/

Jennifer Brackeen’s Personal Blog https://web.archive.org/web/20201221201802/https://thebrackeens.blogspot.com/

"An Untold Number Of Indigenous Children Disappeared At U.S. Boarding Schools. Tribal Nations Are Raising The Stakes In Search Of Answers." https://theintercept.com/2018/09/25/carlisle-indian-industrial-school-indigenous-children-disappeared/

"My Relatives Went To A Catholic School For Native Children. It Was A Place Of Horrors" https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jun/30/my-relatives-went-to-a-catholic-school-for-native-children-it-was-a-place-of-horrors

"Indigenous Children Finally Headed Home" https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/indigenous-children-officially-headed-home

"Indian Boarding School Investigation Faces Hurdles In Missing Records, Legal Questions" https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/indian-boarding-school-investigation-faces-hurdles-missing-records-legal-questions-n1273996

"U.S. Boarding Schools To Be Investigated" https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/us-boarding-schools-to-be-investigated



For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

The Brackeens' case would have been a normal adoption dispute, but then one of the most powerful corporate law firms in the United States took it on and helped the couple launch a federal lawsuit.
Show Notes

This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/

Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/

Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/

Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/

Blood Memory documentary https://www.bloodmemorydoc.com/

“Indian Adoption Project Increases Momentum” April 18, 1967 press release from the U.S. Department of the Interior https://www.indianaffairs.gov/as-ia/opa/online-press-release/indian-adoption-project-increases-momentum



For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

The Brackeens aren’t the only ones suing to strike down the Indian Child Welfare Act. So are Danielle and Jason Clifford, a foster couple from Minnesota.
Show Notes

This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/

Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/

Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/

Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/



For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

The private adoption industry has been fighting against the Indian Child Welfare Act the longest. We learn why by following one couple’s journey to adopt and their mixed feelings about the process.
Show Notes

This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/

Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/

Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/

Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/

Blood Memory documentary https://www.bloodmemorydoc.com/



For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.

The fight against the Indian Child Welfare Act is much bigger than a few custody cases, or even the entire adoption industry. We follow the money, and our investigation leads us to a powerful group of corporate lawyers and one of the biggest law firms in the country. 
Show Notes

This Land website https://crooked.com/podcast-series/this-land/

Resources For Survivors https://crooked.com/resources-for-survivors/

Resources For Journalists & Investigators https://crooked.com/resources-for-journalists-investigators/

Have a tip? Share it with our reporting team via SecureDrop https://criticalfrequency.org/securedrop/

Mashpee Wampanoag face double crisis: COVID-19 and feds https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/mashpee-wampanoag-face-double-crisis-covid-19-and-feds

Interior takes reservation away from Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/interior-takes-reservation-away-from-mashpee-wampanoag-tribe

Mashpee Wampanoag ruling a 'win for all of Indian Country' https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/mashpee-wampanoag-ruling-a-win-for-all-of-indian-country

The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 1 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-1

The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 2 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-2

The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 3 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-3

The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 4 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-4

The Fight for Baby Veronica, Part 5 https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/the-fight-for-baby-veronica-part-5

Supreme Court Takes on Indian Child Welfare Act in Baby Veronica Case https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/supreme-court-takes-on-indian-child-welfare-act-in-baby-veronica-case



For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/thisland.