*Editor’s Note: This article was a collaboration between AIPI Policy & Research Assistant Sadie Vermillion and ILA Program Coordinator Kristen Talbert.

Removal of American Indian children from their homes by both public and private entities has long been a commonplace experience in Indian Country. According to the National Indian Child Welfare Association ( NICWA ) website, “The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted in 1978 in response to a crisis affecting American Indian and Alaska Native children, families, and tribes. Studies revealed that large numbers of Native children were being separated from their parents, extended...

We are getting ready for the second cohort of the ILA program! Please follow us for updates on application information.

My next blog post deadline was coming soon… I could not for the life of me think of a proper topic. Graduation? Leadership? Business? I went for a walk where I do my best thinking, and inspiration struck! May is Get Caught Reading month which highlights the opportunity to raise awareness of the advantages of indulging in literature. I thought, what better way to feature the advantages of literature than to tap into the minds of the staff at the...

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The American Indian Policy Institute (AIPI) closely follows public policy analysis and research surrounding the systemic violence suffered by Indigenous women. In recognition of SAAM, AIPI would like to take some time and space to discuss the recent 2022 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and its projected effect on Indigenous communities. The reauthorization of VAWA reaffirmed the critical legislative focus on the domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking faced by Indigenous women in the United States. In a constant effort to destigmatize the disproportionate representation of violence against...

Saturday, March 26, 2022, marked the closing of the American Indian Policy Institute’s (AIPI) first-ever Indigenous Leadership Academy (ILA). A bittersweet conclusion to a historic inaugural program, the cessation of ILA will leave a gap in AIPI’s weekly activities and those of us at AIPI will eagerly welcome the next cohort coming in the Fall of 2022. Although observing the completion of such a vigorous and successful program is a difficult task, there is now time for reflection on lived experiences and observations, which will in turn allow for continuous growth and advancement in what is a prominent Indigenous leadership program, now and in the future. As those of...