FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 15, 2023
Contact: Maria Dadgar
(602) 258-4822

THE INTER TRIBAL COUNCIL OF ARIZONA and INTER TRIBAL ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA RELEASE JOINT STATEMENT ON HAALAND v. BRACKEEN

PHOENIX – The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA), and the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona (ITAA), two separate nonprofit organizations representing Tribal Nations in Arizona, released a joint statement adding their voice to the groundswell of support across Indian Country for the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act.

The Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) was enacted in 1978 to protect the well-being and best interests of American Indian children and families. The Haaland v. Brackeen lawsuit was brought by Texas (and previously Indiana and Louisiana) and several individual plaintiffs, who alleged that ICWA was unconstitutional. The case worked its way through the lower courts and ultimately the US Supreme Court. Today, the US Supreme Court released their decision, which was to uphold ICWA.

“Since ICWA’s inception over 40 years ago, the goal has been to provide protection for the wellbeing of American Indian/Alaska Native children by giving preference to American Indian families for foster care and adoptive placement of American Indian children,” says Bernadine Burnette, President of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona and Regional Vice President of the Western Region of the National Congress of American Indians.

Studies have found that the Indian Child Welfare Act has had positive outcomes for American Indian children – including such factors as higher self-esteem and lower instances of substance abuse.

“Indian Country will continue to stand up for the rights of our children and families — we applaud today’s Supreme Court decision which affirms the provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act and strengthens tribal sovereignty,” states Shan Lewis, Vice Chairman of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe and President of the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona.

About the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona and the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona
These organizations were established in 1952 to provide a united voice for tribal governments located in the State of Arizona to address common issues of concerns. For more information, please call 602.258.4822.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 3, 2021
Contact: Maria Dadgar
(602) 258-4822

Inter Tribal Council of Arizona Receives EPA Grant to Help Tribal Communities Protect Children from Lead in Drinking Water

PHOENIX, Arizona – December 3, 2021 – The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., (ITCA), a consortium of 21 federally recognized Indian Tribes in Arizona, recently received a $1,581,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to help protect children by identifying sources of lead in drinking water in schools or child care facilities. The funding will help protect children and helps advance the federal action plan to reduce childhood lead exposure. The ITCA project will serve schools or child care facilities at federally-recognized tribes located in New Mexico (in EPA Region 6), as well as those located in Arizona, California, Nevada, and the Navajo Nation (in EPA Region 9). The project will also build on previous lead-testing programs at Tribal schools in these areas.

“Water is sacred in all forms and especially with regard to the drinking water we provide to our children,” stated Maria Dadgar, Executive Director of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. “We look forward to working with Tribal schools and child care facilities to assist with developing programs for monitoring their facilities’ drinking water plumbing. This will include providing technical assistance to support addressing older plumbing fixtures and in general, work toward improving the quality of their drinking water.”

The funding was awarded under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation (WIIN) Act for states, territories, and tribes to test for lead in schools and childcare facilities. The Voluntary Lead Testing in Schools and Child Care Drinking Water grant program continues to help protect children’s health and make progress under the Federal Action Plan to Reduce Childhood Lead Exposures.

The grant supports EPA’s action plan for reducing lead in school drinking water-Training, Testing, and Taking Action, or the 3 Ts. This toolkit helps prepare schools, child care facilities, and grantees to build a voluntary implementation program to reduce lead levels in drinking water with detailed training modules and materials. Learn more about the 3 Ts here: https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/3ts-reducing-lead-drinking-water

EPA’s Children’s Health program highlights how children can be more vulnerable to pollutants than adults, which can lead to greater exposure and/or unique windows of susceptibility during development. This is especially true of lead-an exposure that would have little effect on an adult can have a significant effect on a child. In fetuses, infants and children, low levels of exposure have been linked to damage to the central and peripheral nervous system, learning disabilities, shorter stature, impaired hearing, and impaired formation and function of blood cells. Lead in drinking water is one of the main ways children can be exposed to lead.

Learn more about and EPA’s WIIN grant programs at https://www.epa.gov/dwcapacity/wiin-grant-lead-testing-school-and-child-care-program-drinking-water

About the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc.
The Inter Tribal Council of Arizona (ITCA), was first established in 1952 to provide a united voice for tribal Governments located in the State of Arizona on common issues and concerns. Currently, ITCA’s membership includes 21 of the 22 Tribes of Arizona.

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