Colorblind Individualism, Color Consciousness, and the Indian Child Welfare Act: Representations of Adoptee Best Interest in Newspaper Coverage of the Baby Veronica Case

ABSTRACT

Transracial adoption debates revolve around adoptee best interest with support focusing on individual rights and opposition emphasizing identity. How the media portrayed the Baby Veronica case highlights tensions between colorblind individualism and collective color consciousness central to the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). Content analysis of 262 mainstream and Native American newspaper articles illustrates the complex use of both frameworks with Native American sources more often noting the importance of tribal ties and drawing from a more diverse range of authorities. Findings have implications for public attitudes regarding tribal rights, adoption and foster care policies and practices, and the future of ICWA.

KEYWORDS:

• Colorblind
• color consciousness
• Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)
• individualism
• transracial adoption

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Amanda Herr for her assistance with coding data.

Notes

1. The term Indian is used in the law and references to it, but the authors use American Indian and Native American, both of which are more commonly used and accepted by the communities in current times.

2. While colorblind placement is legally mandated, Quiroz (2007) has shown that race and ethnicity continue to be used as marketing categories by adoption agency.

3. NICWA refers to the National Indian Child Welfare Association, an organization that works to ensure compliance with ICWA and address issues of child abuse and neglect. (National Indian Child Welfare Association. (n.d.). Retrieved January 21, 2016 (http://www.nicwa.org/what_we_do).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kathryn A. Sweeney

Kathryn A. Sweeney is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Purdue University Northwest. Her research examines how structural level disparity shapes everyday life looking at how race, class, and gender differences are perpetuated and challenged. Sweeney’s work has been published in journals including Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, Children’s Geographies, Family Relations, Family Issues, Michigan Family Review, The Journal of Race and Policy, Marriage and Family Review, and The DuBois Review. Her most recent scholarship focuses on adoptive parent choices, content in children’s books with adoption themes, and the portrayal of the Baby Veronica case in mainstream and Native American print media sources.

Rachel L. Pollack

Rachel L. Pollack is a recent graduate of the Human Development & Family Studies M.S. program at Purdue University Northwest. She currently works for the College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences at Purdue University Northwest as their Website & Events Coordinator. Her research interests include gender and race specifically the early formation of gender and racial identity.