After Modi's lionisation of Sardar Patel the Indian National Congress sat up and tried to put the latter back to where he belonged – a high pedestal. In the latest issue of its official organ "Sandesh" it has paid homage to him.
Modi must have been aware that he would be courting controversy if he gave pride of place to the Late Sardar Vallabhai Patel on the 31st October last. The 30th death anniversary of Indira Gandhi, the Late Prime Minister and the 139th birth anniversary of the Late "Sardar", the first post-independence Home Minister, coincided on that date. All these years the Centre, marginalising the "Sardar", had marked 31st October as "Martyrs Day" in commemoration of Mrs. Gandhi's tragic death at the hands of two of her security guards in 1984. This year, however, Modi decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of the "Sardar" in a big way. Not only was it designated as the "National Unity Day", a "Unity Run" too was organised in acknowledgement of Patel's role in unifying India after the British left in 1947, amalgamating 600-odd princely states within the Indian Union. Mrs. Gandhi's "martyrdom" was reduced to a sort of foot-note to the celebrations.
The BJP had, in fact, not exactly painted itself in a corner. After all, Narendra Modi, as Chief Minister of Gujarat, had already initiated plans for erection of the tallest statue ever to be erected anywhere in the world only to honour the "Sardar". He, apparently, has enormous respect for Patel because of the latter's role in unification of the country. The statue is going to be almost 600 ft tall and will be called "Statue of Unity". On the latest controversy, however, the BJP says, "There is no question of anyone being pitted against anyone else". Senior journalist, MJ Akbar, a new entrant in BJP, said on the controversy, "...the row is quite unnecessary. It is not necessary to forget someone to remember another..." He also said that there was a concerted effort to portray Patel as a leader who took anti-Muslim stand. Akbar said that Patel was against Muslim League for demanding partition and not Muslims. It is true, Patel was vehemently against partition but he agreed to partition only after the "Direct Action Day", also known as the "Great Calcutta Killings", initiated by the then Bengal chief minister Soharawardi.
Patel and Mrs. Gandhi defy comparison. Both were, undeniably, great patriots but they lived and worked in different eras and circumstances. While Patel was an important figure in the national struggle for freedom, Indira Gandhi had very little to do with it. The simple reason was that she was much too young to participate in it. However, the legacies left behind by each could be a basis of evaluating their respective contributions.
It will not be way off the mark if one says that if we are one big nation today it is largely because of Sardar Patel. Had it not been for him India would have not even been like the "moth-eaten" Pakistan that Mohammed Ali Jinnah cribbed about after the Partition. Patel went about meticulously and tenaciously persuading 600-odd princes soon after independence to join the Indian Union. On India's independence with the lapse of suzerainty over them of the British Crown they had become free to decide either to remain independent or to join one of the two newly-emerged countries. Besides, had it not been for him we would have lost Kashmir as it was he who forced an indecisive Nehru to send troops to defend the state from Pakistani-supported marauders after its accession to India. Likewise, it was he who forced a vacillating Nehru for the so called "Police Action" against the Nizam of Hyderabad and his "razakars" led by Qasim Rizvi. Earlier, Patel had ensured assimilation of the princely state of Junagadh after its Nawab and Divan fled to Pakistan. With determination, tact and sometimes brute force Patel created a unified, monolithic India which exists until this day. But for him this would not have been possible. It was a gift of great significance to his beloved people who cherish it to this day as his most constructive, valued and abiding legacy.
Indira Gandhi's legacy stands quite a distance away, at the other end of the spectrum. The foremost element of her rule that comes to one's mind is corruption and its institutionalisation under her rule. Earlier too, there used to be corrupt politicians but those who happened to be corrupt then were milk-sucking kids when compared to her. Daughter of a well-regarded father, she took measures the fallout of which was copious corruption in public life. For instance, she banned as early as in 1969 corporate contributions to political parties. It opened the flood gates of political corruption. Over the years, corruption has got deeply embedded in India's political and administrative psyche. Loot and plunder of national resources have become the norm regardless of the party in power. The "license-permit" "Raj" that she ran was a source of ill-gotten gains, as, indeed, foreign defence and other contracts. Every opportunity of making money was used to further her political clout.
The other significant legacy of hers is subversion of well-established institutions that ensured smooth functioning of our democracy. Ruthlessly ambitious as she was, she wanted to rule without any irritants like courts or the press or any public institution that happened to be independent of the government. The Emergency declared by her was an example of her relentless pursuit of power. She just bulldozed her way through subverting the parliamentary democracy with its cabinet system, putting the entire Opposition under arrest, amending laws with a brute majority to bend the courts and other institutions of the government to toe her line. Her party men lost all voice and were herded around like cattle. They even acquiesced to her dynastic ambitions and after she was gone sucked up even to her sons and daughter in-law. The political dynasts that later became prolific took the cue from her.
On an objective assessment, therefore, Patel's legacy stands out as beneficent, while that of Indira Gandhi as baleful.
These dwarfed Congress still sings Nehru Gandhi tunes. They will not grow up and unable to create a leader that can match Modi. Good riddance.


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Joe Pavelski: Spotlight on San Jose Sharks forward
San Jose Sharks' Joe Pavelski, center, is defended by Los Angeles Kings' Jake Muzzin, left, in front of Kings goalie Jonathan Quick during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015, in Los Angeles. The Sharks won 5-3. (Jae C. Hong, The Associated Press)
Spotlight on Joe Pavelski, F, San Jose Sharks
When: Pavelski and the Sharks host the Avalanche on Monday in San Jose, Calif. It concludes Colorado's back-to-back set and marks the Sharks' first game in six days.
What's up: Pavelski scored two third-period, power-play goals in a 1:32 span Tuesday to spearhead a 5-3 comeback victory at Los Angeles. He leads the Sharks with 18 goals and 36 points in his first year as team captain, a role he was given despite having two teammates — Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau — who used to wear San Jose's C.
Background: Pavelski, 31, grew up in Wisconsin, played two seasons in Madison for the Badgers and is a two-time U.S. Olympian. He was an afterthought at the 2003 NHL draft, going to the Sharks in the seventh round (205th overall).
Chambers' take: San Jose did not have a captain last season and missed the playoffs for the first time since the 2002-03 season, leading to the departure of coach Todd McLellan and his staff. Pavelski seems to be the right guy in charge in this dysfunctional group, with full support from Thornton and Marleau.
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Categories: Spotlight, Western Conference
Max Domi: Spotlight on the Arizona Coyotes left wing
Max Domi (16) of the Arizona Coyotes gets set to fire a goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs during an NHL game at the Air Canada Centre on October 26, 2015 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Claus Andersen, Getty Images)
Spotlight on… Max Domi, left wing, Arizona Coyotes
When: The Avalanche plays at Arizona on Thursday, following Colorado's two-game homestand that begins Sunday against San Jose and concludes Tuesday against Calgary.
What's up: Domi, 20, entered Friday's game against Vancouver tied for first in Coyotes scoring with 10 points (four goals). He and fellow up-and-coming Arizona star Anthony Duclair (seven points, five goals) are products of the 2013 NHL draft and making the rebuilding Coyotes relevant this season.
Background: Domi is the son of former NHL forward Tie Domi, a 5-foot-10 tough guy and one of the most interesting players of his time. Tie was often dubbed a heavyweight enforcer, but his 205-pound frame made that impossible. He simply was unafraid of anyone in the NHL, and his 3,515 penalty minutes included fights with some of the league's legendary enforcers. He is third in all-time penalty minutes, behind Tiger Williams (3,966) and Dale Hunter (3,563). Max Domi is 5-10 and thinner, but his game is offense and scoring goals.
Chambers' take: I love this father-son comparison because the dad, who produced just 104 career NHL goals, is undoubtedly proud that his son is destined to score more goals and not come remotely close to his career penalty minutes. The game has changed and Max Domi has the potential to become like the skilled scorers whom his father eagerly stood up for, no matter the danger.
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Categories: Spotlight
Joe Thornton: Spotlight on the San Jose Sharks center
By Terry Frei
Joe Thornton (Getty Images file)
Spotlight on… Joe Thornton, center, Sharks
When: The Avalanche plays Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. MDT at San Jose's SAP Center.
What's up: In opening a three-game California trip, their final road excursion of the season, the Avs will meet Joe Thornton and the Sharks.
Shane Doan: Spotlight on the Coyotes right wing
Shane Doan (Associated Press file)
Spotlight on… Shane Doan, right wing, Coyotes
When: Thursday, 8 p.m., at Arizona.
What's up: The Avalanche, trying to stay in the hunt for a playoff berth, faces one of the two teams that long have been completely out of the running in the Western Conference.
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Steve Moore: Spotlight on the former Avalanche forward
Steve Moore (Denver Post file)
Spotlight on… Steve Moore, forward, Avs (2001-04)
When: Sunday is the 11th anniversary of the notorious Avalanche-Canucks game in Vancouver in which Todd Bertuzzi attacked Moore and the Avalanche forward suffered fractured vertebrae, abrasions and a concussion. It was the last of Moore's 69 NHL games, all with Colorado, and 57 of them came that season, when he seemed to be gaining a foothold in the league as a third- and fourth-line forward. Bertuzzi played nine more seasons, with the Canucks, Red Wings, Panthers, Ducks and Flames.
What's up: And you thought our legal system could be slow? Moore settled his lawsuit against Bertuzzi and the Canucks in September 2014, shortly before it was scheduled to go to trial in Ontario, after many delays and legal foot-dragging and maneuvering.
March 1, 2015, 12:39 am
Beau Bennett: Spotlight on the Penguins right wing
The Penguins' Beau Bennett handles the puck in front of Brandon Saad and Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks in the third period during the game at Consol Energy Center on January 21, 2015, in Pittsburgh. (Justin K. Aller, Getty Images)
Spotlight on… Beau Bennett, right wing, Penguins
When: The Avalanche hosts Pittsburgh on Wednesday, the second consecutive 8 p.m. start time at the Pepsi Center.
What's up: Bennett, a California-born forward from the University of Denver, via the British Columbia Junior Hockey League, had the mumps and missed the first game against the Avs on Dec. 18 in Pittsburgh, a 1-0 overtime victory for the Penguins. Bennett has overcome illness and injury this season and is working his way back to a top-six forward for one of the NHL's best teams.
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Pekka Rinne: Spotlight on the Predators goaltender
Nashville Predators goalie Pekka Rinne (Associated Press file)
Spotlight on… Pekka Rinne, goaltender, Predators
When: Tuesday against the Avalanche at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
What's up: Rinne probably will be in the net when the Avs make their season's second visit to Music City.
Background: For the revitalized Predators, Rinne has been stingy in posting the second-best goals-against average and save percentage to Montreal's Carey Price in the NHL going into the weekend. Rinne was out for three weeks with a minor knee injury before returning to the crease Feb. 5 against Anaheim, and although he allowed five goals on 40 shots in a loss to the Islanders on Thursday, he mostly has been strong since. The Avs faced backups Carter Hutton and Marek Mazanec in late January, getting three points in the home-and-home set over four days. Rinne will be more formidable.
Frei's take: Price and Rinne will duel for the Vezina Trophy, but also are candidates for the Hart Trophy.
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Nick Shore: Spotlight on the Los Angeles Kings center
Nick Shore (Getty Images)
Spotlight on… Nick Shore, center, Kings
When: The defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings play the Avalanche on Wednesday, the first of two meetings this season in Denver.
What's up: Shore, a 22-year-old rookie, was born in the Mile High City and attended the University of Denver, playing three seasons for the Pioneers before signing with the Kings in the spring of 2013. He had played in nine games for the Kings entering Saturday after being called up from the minors for the first time in January before the all-star break. He was the American Hockey League's second-leading scorer at the time.
Background: Shore is the second of David and Sarah Shore's four sons. The couple, with no hockey background at the time, met while attending law school at DU, and their first date was at a Pioneers hockey game. The first three boys have played at DU, including the oldest, Drew of the Calgary Flames organization, and Quentin, a junior center and Ottawa Senators draftee. Nick was drafted by the Kings in the third round (82nd overall) in 2011. The youngest brother, Baker, 15, also plays hockey.
Chambers' take: Nick is a solid end-to-end hockey player who might have the best pro career of the three NHL-drafted Shores. The Kings' philosophy begins with winning puck battles against the wall, and Shore's strength is in the small-games area. Shore is in an ideal situation, and his NHL career appears bright.
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February 7, 2015, 11:27 pm
Rick Nash: Spotlight on the Rangers left wing
New York Rangers left wing Rick Nash (61) greets his teammates after scoring in the first period of an NHL hockey game Boston Bruins at Madison Square Garden in New York, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2015. (Kathy Willens, The Associated Press)
Spotlight on… Rick Nash, left wing, Rangers
When: New York plays the Avs on Thursday, the Rangers' annual visit to Denver. Colorado beat the Rangers 4-3 in a shootout Nov. 13 at New York.
What's up: Nash, 30, is having a career year with his second NHL team, scoring his NHL-leading 32nd goal in his 49th game. He is on pace to easily surpass his career high of 41 goals, set in the 2003-04 season as a 19-year-old with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and get 40 goals for the third time. Through Friday, Nash's plus-20 rating was the best of his NHL career.
Background: Nash was the No. 1 pick in the 2002 draft and reached 30 goals in seven of his eight seasons with the Blue Jackets. He is the prototype power forward, a gifted scorer in a 6-foot-4, 213-pound body. Nash was traded to the Rangers in summer 2012 — along with Steven Delisle and a third-round draft pick — for Artem Anisimov, Brandon Dubinsky, Tim Erixon and a 2013 first-round draft pick.
Chambers' take: Nash is on pace to score 500 goals by age 34, but his Hockey Hall of Fame candidacy will depend on what he does in the playoffs the rest of his career. In the 2013 and 2014 postseasons, the Rangers played a total of 37 games, but Nash scored only four goals. He is getting $7.9 million this season and is under contract through 2017-18.
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NHL spotlight on the Avalanche-Red Wings rivalry
Colorado Avalanche center Matt Duchene (9) battles with Detroit Red Wings center Joakim Andersson (18) for the puck as it bounces in front of Detroit Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson (50) during the third period October 17, 2013 at Pepsi Center.(John Leyba, The Denver Post)
Spotlight on… Red Wings vs. Avalanche
When: Thursday, 7 p.m., at the Pepsi Center … and Saturday, Feb. 27, 2016, at Coors Field.
What's up: This week, it's the second and final 2014-15 regular-season matchup of one-time bitter Western Conference rivals. The rivalry has taken a turn to the conventional since the Avalanche's regression in recent years and especially since the Red Wings switched to the Eastern Conference last season. The teams won't meet again in Denver until the Stadium Series game next year.
Background: Promoting the Coors Field game will involve efforts, both reasonable and ridiculously contrived, to harken back to the "Blood Feud" days of yore in the rivalry. So get ready for the replays of Lemieux vs. McCarty, Patrick Roy vs. Mike Vernon and Chris Osgood, and Marc Crawford going ballistic on the bench at Scotty Bowman … and more.
Frei's take: Let former Colorado Rockies Larry Walker, Barry Beck and Lanny McDonald play for the Avalanche in the Alumni Game.
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Filip Forsberg: Spotlight on the Nashville Predators forward
Spotlight on … Filip Forsberg, F, Predators
When: The Avalanche's next two games are against Forsberg and the Predators, beginning Tuesday in Nashville, Tenn.
What's up: Forsberg, 20, will be the only rookie playing Sunday in the NHL All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio. He leads the Predators, and all NHL rookies, with 40 points. He's also first among rookies with a plus-24 rating, which is third-best in the league.
Background: From Ostervala, Sweden, Forsberg was selected No. 11 by the Washington Capitals in the 2012 draft, with the pick the Caps acquired from the Avalanche in the Semyon Varlamov trade. In a 2013 trade-deadline move that general manager George McPhee felt would bolster Washington's playoff run, the Caps sent Forsberg to Nashville for Martin Erat and minor-leaguer Michael Latta. In hindsight, the trade might have cost McPhee his job, and the Predators ridded themselves of a 31-year-old veteran making $4.5 million for one of the world's top young prospects.
Chambers' take: Forsberg is not related to Peter Forsberg, the Hall of Famer and former Avalanche star, but they are similar in that both were traded by the NHL team that drafted them, and that team will never hear the end of it. The Flyers traded Peter to the Quebec Nordiques in the Eric Lindros deal. Filip was traded for a guy who is 33 and playing out what likely will be the final year of his last NHL contract.
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Nick Foligno: Spotlight on Blue Jackets left wing
Columbus Blue Jackets left wing Nick Foligno. (The Associated Press)
Spotlight on … Nick Foligno, left wing, Blue Jackets
When: All-Star Game fantasy draft Friday, 6 p.m., at Columbus.
What's up: Foligno, as the representative of the host team, will serve as one of the team captains for next Sunday's NHL All-Star Game, along with Chicago's Jonathan Toews. The division of the players on Team Toews and Team Foligno will be determined by the Friday night draft involving the captains. Foligno's assistant captains are Patrick Kane of the Blackhawks and Drew Doughty of the Kings, while Toews' assistants are Rick Nash of the Rangers and Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks.
Background: Going into Saturday's game against the Bruins, Foligno already had equaled his career high for goals in a season, with 18. He lived in the Denver area for a year when he was 10, when his father, Mike, was an Avalanche assistant coach. He's active in many charitable causes, including with the Janis Foligno Foundation, which honors his mother, Janis, who died of breast cancer in 2009.
Frei's take: Foligno is a worthy captain, and not just because the game is in Columbus.
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Duncan Keith: Spotlight on the Blackhawks defenseman
Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks controls the puck along the boards against Tyler Ennis of the Buffalo Sabres at First Niagara Center on March 9, 2014 in Buffalo, New York. (Sean Rudyk, Getty Images)
Spotlight on… Duncan Keith, defenseman, Blackhawks
When: The Avalanche interrupts a stretch of five home games with one at the United Center in Chicago on Tuesday. The Blackhawks are 2-0 against Colorado this season, and this will be their first meeting in Chicago.
What's up: Keith is what every team covets, a brilliant defenseman who rarely makes poor decisions and is equally good in all three zones. In the past five NHL seasons, Keith has twice won the Norris Trophy as the league's top defenseman, including last summer.
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Steve Downie: Spotlight in the Penguins forward
Steve Downie (23) of the Pittsburgh Penguins makes a pass in the first period during the game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Consol Energy Center on November 26, 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Justin K. Aller, Getty Images)
Spotlight on… Steve Downie, forward, Penguins
When: The Avalanche begins a three-game trip Thursday at Pittsburgh.
What's up: Steve Downie, a 27-year-old who was a first-round draft pick in 2005, entered Saturday tied for seventh on his team in scoring. And his 85 penalty minutes led the NHL, 14 more than the Avalanche's Cody McLeod, who was second. Clearly, having these two guys on the same team would cause problems.
Background: Downie played 33 games for the Avalanche over three seasons, beginning late in 2011-12 when he was acquired from Tampa Bay in a three-team trade that sent Avs defenseman Kyle Quincey to Detroit. Downie suffered a major knee injury and played just two games during the 48-game, lockout-shortened season of 2013.
Chambers' take: It didn't look like a wise trade at the time, but sending Downie to Philadelphia early last season for Max Talbot was a good move. At the time, Downie was a pending unrestricted free agent making $700,000 more than Talbot, who is locked in through 2015-16 at relatively low salaries of $1.25 million and $1 million in the final two years. The Flyers let Downie into the UFA market, and his best deal was a one-year, $1 million contract with Pittsburgh. Downie has helped the Penguins but, unlike Talbot, he takes unwise penalties and is viewed as a bomb ready to explode and hurt the team. Talbot, 30, is a better forward and teammate.
Paul Stastny: Spotlight on the Blues center
St. Louis Blues center Paul Stastny skates during a preseason game between the St. Louis Blues and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014, at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. (Chris Lee, St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Spotlight on… Paul Stastny, center, St. Louis Blues
When: Stastny and the Blues play the Avalanche in Denver for the first time this season Saturday, completing a three-game homestand at the Pepsi Center. The Avs host the Nashville Predators on Tuesday and the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday before Stastny's homecoming.
What's up: Stastny, who was born in Quebec City and raised in St. Louis, is playing hockey outside Denver for the first time since the 2003-04 season, when he was a junior-A standout for the River City Lancers of the United States Hockey League. He still has a home in the Washington Park area and remains close friends with his former University of Denver and Avalanche teammates.
Categories: Former Players, Spotlight
P.A. Parenteau: Spotlight on the Canadiens' right winger
By Adrian Dater
P.A. Parenteau and the Canadiens come to Denver for a Monday night meeting with the Avalanche. (Elsa, Getty Images)
When: Parenteau and the Canadiens come to Denver for a Monday night meeting with the Avalanche. Montreal beat Colorado last month at the Bell Centre.
What's up: Parenteau, signed to a four-year, $18 million contract by the Avs in 2012, led the team in goals in the 2012-13 lockout-shortened season, with 18. He was traded to Montreal over the summer, though, in exchange for veteran Daniel Briere.
Patrick Kane: Spotlight on the Blackhawks right wing
Chicago Blackhawks right wing Patrick Kane. (Paul Sancya, The Associated Press)
Spotlight on… Patrick Kane, right wing, Blackhawks
When: The Avalanche plays the Blackhawks for the first time this season Wednesday at the Pepsi Center, the second of back-to-back games for the Avs.
What's up: Patrick Kane is off to another fine start at age 26. He scored a dazzling goal Thursday to help the Blackhawks beat the Calgary Flames and has maintained close to a point-per-game average.
John Tavares: Spotlight on the Islanders center
John Tavares #91 of the New York Islanders reaches for the puck with Jarret Stoll #28 of the Los Angeles Kings during the third period at Staples Center on November 6, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. (Harry How, Getty Images)
Spotlight on… John Tavares, center, Islanders
When: The Avalanche makes its only stop this season at the Nassau Coliseum on Tuesday night to play the Islanders. Colorado recently beat them 5-0 at the Pepsi Center.
What's up: John Tavares, who suffered a serious knee injury at the Olympics in Sochi this year, is off to a good start. He had 15 points in his first 13 games, including an overtime winner last Tuesday at Anaheim.
Background: In the last 20 years, only Sidney Crosby had a bigger buildup coming out of junior than Tavares. He went first overall in 2009, two spots ahead of Matt Duchene. While Tavares scored 24 goals his rookie season, he was seen as something of a disappointment, with his speed and defensive play questioned. But he has gradually shown to be worth the hype and is now the unquestioned leader of the Islanders. He really worked on his skating before last season and is a step quicker than he was his first couple of years.
Dater's take: Watching Tavares play his first two seasons, I thought he might become something of a bust. Nobody questioned his talent, but his hockey sense and overall commitment seemed to be lacking for such a heralded draft pick. Nobody thinks that anymore, as Tavares rededicated himself to the game and is one of the top forwards in the NHL.
Corey Perry: Spotlight on the Anaheim Ducks right wing
Corey Perry (Getty Images file)
Spotlight on… Corey Perry, right wing, Ducks
When: The Avalanche plays the Ducks at the Pepsi Center on Sunday. It's the teams' first meeting of the season.
What's up: It seems safe to proclaim now that Corey Perry is a pretty good hockey player. With nine goals in his first 10 games, the native of Peterborough, Ontario, is off to a great start in his bid to win a second Hart Trophy. Perry had back- to-back hat tricks as part of his red-hot start.
Background: With all that he has accomplished in his career, it seems hard to believe Perry went only 28th in the first round of the 2003 NHL draft. While it was one of the best draft years in league history, plenty of teams probably would do their picks over again if they could. (The Avalanche didn't have a first-round draft pick that year.)
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Johnny Boychuk: Spotlight on the Islanders defenseman
Johnny Boychuk (Getty Images file)
Spotlight on… Johnny Boychuk, defenseman, New York Islanders
When: The Avalanche hosts the Islanders on Thursday night, one of its two meetings this season.
What's up: Boychuk, a former member of the Avalanche, was traded by the Boston Bruins before the season and has played very well for a New York team that got off to a good start. He can become an unrestricted free agent next summer and will likely score a big contract if he does.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Homeowners worry about fate of loan interest tax deduction
NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Mindy and Josh Schreiber moved into their new home in Seaford, New York, on Saturday. Like many homeowners, they too say they will deduct the interest paid on their home loans from their income taxes. But removing the deduction is one of the things U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin is considering.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said that is unfair and would actually hurt the middle class.
"If these deductions are eliminated there would be a giant tax increase courtesy of the federal government to Long Island, New York and New Jersey," Schumer said. Deductions help make housing less costly, he said. A few thousand dollars in return each year adds up.
Economist Dr. Martin Cantor said it could also impact the real estate market on Long Island where the median residential home sale price was just over $400,000 in 2015.
"I think it's a bargaining chip. It's been tried in almost every administration," Cantor said. "It's one of the third rails of the Democratic Party. They won't touch it."
Experts say it will take some time to learn Trump's stance on the deductions. If he supports it, it first has to pass in the House of Representatives before going to the Senate.
Biden eyes child tax credit expansion among stimulus measures: Report
Andrew Yang calls for universal basic income in New York City


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text:
layout: post
title: "JS Project #1: Tic Tac Toe p3"
status: realeased
#draft: true
type: post
published: true
comments: true
---

  I have received many requests about making some guidelines materials about making Tic-Tac-Toe school project on PhoneGap. I won't cover PhoneGap strict part of job because that's actually very easy. The think i will do is breaking this project in smaller accomplishable parts.

<!--more-->

   <h2> Detecting win! </h2>

Let's take it apart. You have 4 possible cases of win and 1 for tie. The tie happens only when number of moves is equal to number of fields (rows * columns). The win conditions are:

- n fields in line horizontally
- n fields in line vertically
- n fields in line across from left to right
- n fields in line across from right to left

How to check if all fields in line are the same? There are few approaches, but we will choose the simplest one, imperative. We will use a loop and mutable variable.

{% highlight javascript %}
function checkHorizontally(numberwearelookingfor, onWin){
  var temp
  for(var i = 0; i < numberOfRows; i++){
    temp = true
    for(var j = 0; j < numberOfCols; j++){
      if(tab[i][j] != numberwearelookingfor){
        temp = false
        break;
      }
    }
    if(temp){
      onWin()
      return true;
    }
  }
  return false;
}
{% endhighlight %}

In above code i'm using De Morgan's laws. If every element is not different then an element X that means all of them are same as element X. You should also note the onWin variable. This code is designed to call onWin when it founds the win so if you want to use it, you have to either pass a function as onWin parameter or comment call. Figuring other i will leave for you.

Example call:
{% highlight javascript %}
//assuming that 1 is X
checkHorizontally(1, function(){
  alert("X Won")
})

//We could simplify it even further
function Xwon(){ alert("X Won)}
checkHorizontally(1, Xwon)
{% endhighlight %}

Some hints:
- when detecting "cross" wins you will need only one loop
- detecting vertical line is similar to horizontal except changing second param of table, you will have to change first (tab[x][y] => tab[y][x])

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


When you find out you are expecting a child you always worry about them being born healthy and strong, ten fingers, ten toes, and when that happens you always breathe that sigh of relief.
As a first time Mom, I was blissfully naive. After my first child, Boston was born I anticipated the terrible two's, the teenage angst someday, but I never anticipated that something would ever be "wrong."
When Boston was about 18 months he started losing his speech and responding to his surroundings as he should. It was gradual at first. I couldn't get him to say certain words or point to his belly button and he had done a few short months before.
People told me he was just being stubborn. People told me I was being a stubborn first-time mom. I knew in my gut they were wrong.
Every time I googled his symptoms, one word came up. Autism. I kept googling hoping that I'd get a different result. I didn't.
Long story short, I enrolled my son in an early intervention program, who referred me to a psychologist.
As I sat in the doctor's office and he performed tests on my son I was completely unprepared for what was about to come out of his mouth.
He looked me in the eyes and said. "Your son has an Autism Spectrum Disorder." With that sentence my whole world change. He talked about special classrooms, social struggles, I felt like I was caught up in a tornado. How could something be "wrong" with my beautiful, perfect, little boy?
That was tough. It's continued to be tough for the past 10 years, but I can't even imagine how tough it would be to hear the diagnosis of CANCER.
What goes through your brain when a doctor tells you your beautiful, perfect, child has CANCER?
All of a sudden you feel alone. Different than your neighbors. The world keeps going on and you have a child with CANCER.
What do you do? How do you breathe? This is where St. Jude steps in. St. Jude gives HOPE after the diagnosis. Hope to these families who are shocked, desperate for help, and they don't have to pay a dime. They don't have to pay a dime because of you.
There are a lot of different struggles in this world. Cancer is one of the worst. If you've ever been that parent in that room who has received a diagnosis of any kind, diabetes, allergies, Autism, the list goes on and on and on. If you can relate to this, become a Partner in Hope right now at 1-800-363-5334.


text:
TRIBAL SUPREME COURT PROJECT PRESS RELEASE
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl is a case in which the South Carolina Supreme Court held that a Native American (Indian) child could not be adopted by non-Indian parents without complying with the requirements of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). The court ordered the child returned to her biological father after she had lived with her adoptive parents from birth until 2 years of age.
In 2009, a couple from South Carolina sought to adopt an Indian child from her non-Indian single mother in Oklahoma. The biological father contested the adoption on the grounds that he was not properly notified in accordance with ICWA, and won his cases in trial court and on appeal with the state supreme court. The case has received extensive coverage in the national media, and spurred calls for Congress to review and make amendments to the 1978 law.
On October 1, 2012, the adoptive couple petitioned the United States Supreme Court to review the case. On January 4, 2013, the court granted certiorari and will hear the case on April 16, 2013.
NATIVE AMERICAN RIGHTS FUND | NATIONAL CONGRESS OF AMERICAN INDIANS
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL INDIAN CHILD WELFARE ASSOCIATION
Thom Wallace - National Congress of American Indians
twallace@ncai.org
O (202) 466-7767 ext. 207
Nicole Adams - National Indian Child Welfare Association
nicole@nicwa.org
C (503)754-0466
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl
Amicus Briefs in Support of Brown Family Include U.S. Solicitor General, 19 States, and Broad Coalition of Supporters
Twenty-Four Briefs Call for Brown Family—Daughter, Veronica, and
Father, Dusten—to Remain Together and
Indian Child Welfare Act to Remain Intact
Brown Family, Who Have Prevailed in Every Court So Far, Will Have
Fate Decided by the Supreme Court in a Case to be Heard on April 16th
Washington, DC—The United States federal government and 19 states are among a broad coalition who filed amicus briefs yesterday with the United States Supreme Court supporting the rights of Native American father Dusten Brown and his daughter, Veronica, to remain together as a family, calling for the nation's highest court to uphold a previous South Carolina Supreme Court decision. The well-being of Veronica, the Brown family, and the importance of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) is a focus of all the briefs.
The case Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, to be heard by the Supreme Court on April 16, 2013, involves a South Carolina couple seeking review of a South Carolina Supreme Court ruling and attempting to force Dusten Brown, a member of the Cherokee Nation, to give his daughter Veronica up for adoption. Mr. Brown, who is now raising Veronica at their home in Oklahoma, has prevailed in every court that has considered this matter, including the South Carolina Family Court and the South Carolina Supreme Court.
Joining the U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli and 19 states, including 18 state attorneys general, are a large array of groups who submitted 24 separate briefs in all. The overwhelming support includes 17 former and current members of Congress; Casey Family Programs, the Children's Defense Fund, and 16 other child welfare organizations; the American Civil Liberties Union; broad coalitions of psychology associations, child advocates, and legal experts; adult Native American adoptees; and tribal amicus briefs which include 333 American Indian tribes.
"The broad base of support in this case is historic. In the history of the work of the Tribal Supreme Court Project, no Indian law case has generated more of a unified message to the Supreme Court about Indian law," said Richard Guest, staff attorney for the Native American Rights Fund (NARF), noting the outpouring of interest and support for Veronica, the Brown family, and ICWA.
Many of the briefs highlight the findings of the South Carolina Family Court, which found that "the birth father is a fit and proper person to have custody of his child" who "has convinced [the Court] of his unwavering love for this child," and were upheld by the South Carolina Supreme Court.
The amicus brief of the United States federal government emphasized the importance of ICWA, stating that "the United States has a substantial interest in the case because Congress enacted ICWA in furtherance of 'the special relationship between the United States and the Indian tribes and their members and the Federal responsibility to Indian people.'" The brief further defends the constitutionality of ICWA, arguing that "ICWA, which is predicated on Congress's considered judgment that application of its protections serves the best interests of Indian children and protects vital interests of their parents and Tribes, does not violate any substantive due process protections." It concludes that "[t]he South Carolina courts properly awarded custody of Baby Girl to Father."
In the brief of leading national child welfare organizations, the best interest of the child is highlighted, in addition to the value of ICWA.
No one understands the human toll custody disputes can take more than amici, 18 child welfare organizations who have dedicated literally scores of years to the on-the-ground development and implementation of best practices and policies for child placement decision making. Amici have seen up close what works, and what does not. In amici's collective judgment, ICWA works very well and, in fact, is a model for child welfare and placement decision making that should be extended to all children. Much forward progress in the child welfare area would be damaged by rolling the law back.
A brief from Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne was joined by attorneys general from 17 other states—Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Washington, and Wisconsin— and argued against interference in the relationship between states and tribes in matters regarding ICWA, asserting, "States and tribes have collaborated to ensure that the mandates and spirit of ICWA are fulfilled…. Early and complete compliance with ICWA ensures the security and stability of adoptive families as well as tribes and Indian families." The State of Minnesota Department of Human Services also filed a brief.
Not one state submitted briefs in support of Adoptive Couple.
"This brief includes nine Republican and nine Democrat attorneys general," said John Dossett, National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) general counsel. "Party affiliation does not matter. The federal trust responsibility is a nonpartisan commitment, which includes support for the rights of American Indian families and tribal governments to protect their Indian children—and in this case, for a loving father to be with his daughter and for her to be with her family."
Seventeen current and former members of Congress also reflected this bipartisan support, noting in their brief the circumstances that led to the enactment of ICWA in 1978, as well as asserting Congress's exclusive power to legislate with respect to Indian tribes. It stated:
In 1978, Congress enacted ICWA in direct response to state adoption policies that were draining Indian tribes of their future citizens. Such practices threatened the very existence of Indian tribes. Without children to grow up as their citizens, tribes would be left with no one to speak their language, carry on their traditions and culture, or participate in their tribal governments…. Ultimately, any decision limiting Congress's authority to pass legislation like ICWA…would effectively preclude Congress from exercising its plenary authority in Indian affairs, and render Congress unable to fulfill its historic duties as trustee to the Indian tribes.
Terry Cross, executive director of the National Indian Child Welfare Association (NICWA), commended former Senator James Abourezk for taking the lead on the brief, stating, "Senator Abourezk sponsored the bill that became ICWA because he recognized that the widespread removal of Indian children from their homes was a continuation of forced assimilation practices that had no place in our society. His leadership today sends an unmistakable message that there is unified support in defending his law from those who would return to the pre-ICWA era."
Two national tribal amicus briefs were submitted. The first, focused on the legislative history and importance of ICWA, was submitted by the Association on American Indian Affairs, NCAI, and NICWA, who were joined by 30 Indian tribes and five Indian organizations. A second national tribal amicus brief addresses the constitutional issues raised by the petitioners and also includes 24 tribal nations and organizations. The members of the Tribal Supreme Court Project—NARF and NCAI—in partnership with NICWA, joined together to organize the briefs in support of the father. In all, 333 tribes submitted briefs in support of the father.
Oral arguments for Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl will be held on April 16, with a decision expected shortly thereafter.
All of the briefs filed by supporters of Dusten Brown's right to raise his daughter can be found at: http://bit.ly/ZrIS22
All filings for the case can be found at: http://bit.ly/11TpaDY
More information about the case can be found at: http://www.nicwa.org/babyveronica/
Brock University honors adoptee Jolene Hill
Aboriginal students recognized for leadership, achievements
Posted by tmayer on Mar 21st, 2013
Jolene Hill (left) and Renée Monchalin are this year's recipients of the Aboriginal Achievement Awards.
Until three years ago, Jolene Hill knew nothing about the history of residential schools in Canada.
Life on a reserve was foreign to the master's student who grew up in Arkansas as the adopted aboriginal daughter of white parents. In fact, just about any issue facing Canada's First Nations was unknown to her.
Then Hill, whose birth family is from the Osoyoos Indian Band in B.C., came to Brock in 2010 to pursue her master's degree in psychology. That's when Hill got an education in being aboriginal in Canada.
Outside of school, she took at 12-week workshop designed to help First Nations peoples find employment. Hill landed a job at the Niagara Regional Native Centre in Niagara-on-the-Lake where she heard the life stories of her co-workers and the challenges they've faced as First Nations peoples in Canada.
At Brock, she connected with Aboriginal Student Services and participated in the programs and services it offered.
Every experience with Niagara's First Nations community on campus and off only solidified for Hill what she wanted to do with her career.
She wants to help those who haven't been as fortunate as she has, getting her master's in theology at Wilfrid Laurier University and eventually becoming a chaplain at a prison being built on Osoyoos Indian Band land in Oliver, B.C.
"When I was 15, 20, 25, people always asked if I was interested in my origins. I wasn't," Hill said. "I was busy running around with friends. But as you get older, you start to think about things.
"When I talk to my birth mom, I see someone who acts like me and talks like me," Hill added. "Because she has an aboriginal background and is living on a reserve, I'm interested in how she grew up. She's been discriminated against but I haven't been because people always thought I was white."
Hill was recognized for her leadership on campus and off, and her academic achievements, Wednesday at the 14th annual Aboriginal Achievement Awards at Pond Inlet. The awards are presented by Aboriginal Student Services and the Student Development Centre.
"As a recipient of this award, I promise to do my best to be a leader in the aboriginal community and to help facilitate harmony between aboriginals and the general population of Canada," Hill told the audience at the ceremony.
Joining her in the accolades was Renée Monchalin, who is in her last year of studying public health.
Monchalin started at Brock as a communications student but quickly learned after connecting with Aboriginal Student Services that her passion was First Nations health issues. She changed her major to public health with the goal reducing drug and alcohol abuse in aboriginal communities.
Since then, Monchalin has worked with the Region's public health department on youth health initiatives, as well as the Southern Ontario Aboriginal Diabetes Initiative (SOADI).
"Renée has really strong purpose, direction and passion for health issues affecting the aboriginal community," said Prof. John Hay, who taught Monchalin. "I think she has all the trappings and skills to be an effective leader in the future."
Monchalin said she was honoured to receive the award.
"I appreciate that I have the support system here," she said. "I'm just really grateful and motivated to do more and more."
Source: http://www.brocku.ca/brock-news/?p=21542
Labels: Brock University, First Nations Canada, Jolene Hill, Split Feathers
Important Briefs for Supreme Court
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl Amicus Briefs Supporting Respondents
by Matthew L.M. Fletcher
11-399 bsac The Seminole Nation of Oklahoma
12-399 bsac 63 California Indian Tribes
12-399 bsac American Civil Liberties Union
12-399 bsac Arizona et al
12-399 bsac CurrentandFormerMembersofCongress
12-399 bsac Family Law Professors
12-399 bsac Friends Committee on National Legislation et al.
12-399 bsac Hamline Univ Sch of Law Child Advocacy Clinic
12-399 bsac Lower Sioux Indian Community
12-399 bsac Nat'l Lat Psych Assoc
12-399 bsac Navajo Nation
12-399 bsac Seminole Tribe of Florida et al
12-399 bsac Tanana Chiefs Conference, et al
12-399 bsac The Honorable Abby Abinanti Chief Justice of the Yurok Tribal Court (2)
12-399 bsac Wisconsin Tribes
Labels: #Adoption, #ICWA, Baby Veronica Case, Supreme Court
Tribal Amicus Brief on Constituitionality of Indian Child Welfare Act
Click Here: http://turtletalk.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/12-399-bsacseminoletribeoffloridaetal.pdf
LIST OF MEMBER TRIBES OF TRIBAL ORGANIZATIONS who signed this important brief in support of the Indian Child Welfare Act:
All Indian Pueblo Council
Ohkay Owingeh, New Mexico
Pueblo of Acoma, New Mexico
Pueblo of Isleta, New Mexico
Pueblo of Jemez, New Mexico
Pueblo of Laguna, New Mexico
Pueblo of Nambe, New Mexico
Pueblo of Picuris, New Mexico
Pueblo of Pojoaque, New Mexico
Pueblo of San Felipe, New Mexico
Pueblo of San Ildefonso, New Mexico
Pueblo of Sandia, New Mexico
Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico
Pueblo of Santa Clara, New Mexico
Pueblo of Santo Domingo, New Mexico
Pueblo of Taos, New Mexico
Pueblo of Tesuque, New Mexico
Pueblo of Zia, New Mexico
Pueblo of Zuni, New Mexico
Ysleta del Sur Pueblo, Texas 2a
Maniilaq Association
Native Village of Ambler
Native Village of Buckland
Native Village of Kiana
Native Village of Kivalina
Native Village of Kobuk
Native Village of Kotzebue
Native Village of Noatak
Native Village of Point Hope
Native Village of Selawik
Native Village of Shungnak
United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc.
Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas
Aroostook Band of Micmacs, Maine
Catawba Indian Nation, South Carolina
Cayuga Nation, New York
Chitimacha Tribe of Louisiana
Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, North Carolina
Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians, Maine
Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, Louisiana
Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, Connecticut
Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, Massachusetts
Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida 3a
Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians
Narragansett Indian Tribe, Rhode Island
Oneida Indian Nation, New York
Passamaquoddy Tribe—Indian Township, Maine
Passamaquoddy Tribe—Pleasant Point, Maine
Penobscot Indian Nation, Maine
Poarch Band of Creek Indians, Alabama
Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe, New York
Seneca Nation of Indians, New York
Shinnecock Indian Nation, New York
The Mohegan Tribe, Connecticut
Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana
Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), Massachusetts
(These Tribal Nations make so proud they submitted this important brief in the Baby Veronica Case. They are some of the tribes who lost their children to the Indian Adoption Projects...Trace)
NARF/Casey Foundation Blog on Indian Child Welfare Developments
by Matthew L.M. Fletcher (Turtle Talk)
Welcome to ICWA INFO, described as:
In early 2013 Casey Family Programs partnered with the Native American Rights Fund to create an online resource that would focus solely on Indian child welfare issues. Thus, began the ICWA INFO blog. It was envisioned that this site would provide the public with information and timely updates about all things related to Indian child welfare and the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA). This would include:
news about lawsuits related to ICWA in tribal, state, and federal courts,
related training and conferences,
legal analysis and research resources,
federal and state regulations,
information about relevant groups and agencies,
and job postings.
To see our most recent additions and edits, visit our home page. To see past materials, you can use our search box or review materials by category, date posted, or topic from the links at the right.
We hope that you find this resource useful and we invite you to submit materials for this website at the contact page.
Labels: #ICWA, Native American Rights Fund, Split Feathers, Turtle Talk
ACTION ALERT, Briefs you need to read #Baby Veronica
Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl & Cherokee Nation Respondents' Briefs
12-399 Birth Father
12-399 CherokeeNation
NICWA urgently requests your immediate action on three time-sensitive matters regarding Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, an ICWA-related case before the U.S. Supreme Court that has potentially sweeping ramifications for all of Indian Country far beyond issues in child welfare. All supporting amicus briefs in this case must be filed by Thursday, March 28, 2013. For months, the Tribal Supreme Court Project, of which NICWA is a part of, has coordinated the development of these briefs. With one week until they are due, we seek your help in getting more tribes and states to sign on in support of the Respondents in this case, the Brown family and the Cherokee Nation.
Please take the following actions below immediately and share this message with your personal networks.
More information on this case can be found at www.nicwa.org/BabyVeronica.
Labels: #Adoption, #ICWA, #NDN, Baby Veronica Case, Supreme Court, Turtle Talk
Adoption Fraud in Kentucky
From Non-Ethical Adoptions on YouTube:
"Children are being stolen from their parents in record numbers all over the United States, thanks to federal grants given to states for completed adoptions. Already a problem, this trend skyrocketed when the Bush administration increased these grants in 2005. We know from the 59 videos on our channel alone that this is continuing to happen all across the nation. It must be stopped. It is unacceptable for this to be going on anywhere, much less in the nation that claims to be the flagship of the free world. This is the best news story we have ever seen on this subject."
The link: http://youtu.be/U22Hik1ilUg
As they say on this news program, federal and state monies are based on statistics in each state - which is unethical on the part of Kentucky (and South Dakota) to up their numbers to get more money. The billion dollar adoption industry is then legally profiting from child trafficking and selling children. It's about money---not protecting families and children from these abusive practices.
One commenter who saw this news story wrote: What do you expect in a nation where economic prosperity has been built on slavery and 'indentured servitude' --- the system out which adoption grew. If the roots are rotten, why be surprised that the tree growing from those roots is also rotten...
Labels: #Adoption, billion dollar adoption industry, Kentucky adoption fraud, South Dakota
Necessary: How my Adoption was like the Baby Veronica case
NEWS: United States Amicus Brief in Support of Affirmance in the Baby Veronica Case
Click here to read: http://sct.narf.org/documents/adoptivecouplevbabygirl/us_amicus_brief.pdf
By Trace L Hentz (formerly DeMeyer)
It's important to Native adoptees that the history of the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 be placed in the forefront in this case headed to the Supreme Court. It is more than relevant. It is necessary.
A quote from this brief states ..."The case for the ICWA's application here, where the biological father, a member of the Cherokee Nation, wishes to raise his child as a member of the nation, is even stronger."
I spoke with a reporter at NBC News a month ago, and telling him about my own adoption, how my father Earl would have kept me and raised me. The reporter at NBC said I am like an early Baby Veronica case.
Yes, but I was adopted before the Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978 as many Native adoptees were. Federal law did not protect me or my father's rights back in the 1950s. The social workers did not contact my father before I was placed in a stranger adoption. Therefore I lost contact with my relatives and my culture. That is no longer acceptable, since ICWA was passed.
Do the people who wished to adopt Baby Veronica know this history? If not, they need to read the anthology TWO WORLDS and understand how adoptees feel. Did they ever consider the child's needs above their own?
CONGRESS MADE EXPRESS STATUTORY
FINDINGS THAT "AN ALARMINGLY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF INDIAN
FAMILIES (WERE) BROKEN UP BY THE REMOVAL, OFTEN UNWARRANTED,
OF THEIR CHILDREN FROM THEM BY NONTRIBAL PUBLIC
AND PRIVATE AGENCIES," AND THAT THE STATES "HA(D) OFTEN
FAILED TO RECOGNIZE THE ESSENTIAL TRIBAL RELATIONS OF INDIAN
PEOPLE AND THE CULTURAL AND SOCIAL STANDARDS PREVAILING
IN INDIAN COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES." - Statement in Brief
In my research for both books, I found that Department of the Interior Solicitor Hilary C. Tompkins is an adoptee and Navajo. Tompkins is part of this brief. A story about her ran in the Navajo Times a few years ago.
IN ENACTING ICWA IN 1978, CONGRESS DETERMINED
THAT FEDERAL ACTION WAS NECESSARY TO ADDRESS "THE CONSEQUENCES
TO INDIAN CHILDREN, INDIAN FAMILIES, AND INDIAN
TRIBES OF ABUSIVE CHILD WELFARE PRACTICES THAT RESULTED IN
THE SEPARATION OF LARGE NUMBERS OF INDIAN CHILDREN FROM
THEIR FAMILIES AND TRIBES THROUGH ADOPTION OR FOSTER CARE
PLACEMENT, USUALLY IN NON-INDIAN HOMES." - Statement from Brief
Keep good thoughts that this important case respects existing federal law and this daughter remains with her father and in her tribe. It is important. It is necessary.
Labels: #Adoption, #ICWA, Adoption headlines, Baby Veronica Case, Split Feathers, Trace L Hentz
Leland P Kirk Morrill: a follow-up interview
Earlier interviews with Dine adoptee Leland P. Morrill (Kirk) have been so popular on this blog, we decided to check in with him again and see what he's been up to. Leland is one of 10 children adopted by one Mormon family. He has been working on several projects concerning American Indian Adoptees.
How is your reunion going with your family on the Navajo reservation?
Leland Morrill: I am in constant communication with my Uncle Ernie & Aunt Carrie on Facebook. I enjoyed Thanksgiving with them this past year. Facebook has been a "blessing in disguise." I am meeting more and more Navajo family and friends through Facebook and it's been a treat to be able to have a platform of communication.
Last year my cousin Elton hosted a pow wow here in Los Angeles called "Celebrating Life & All Creation." (He founded that pow wow and some of us are organizing it for this year since he moved to Denver.)
Of note, Elton and I (on October 18, 2009) each provided "public comment" at the HIV/AIDS Community Discussion: Los Angeles for the White House HIV/AIDS Community Discussion held at Hollywood High. Back then we didn't know we were related. I was coerced to attend by a friend and then he said you should say something...so I prepared comments while waiting in line after filling out the "comment request card." Elton spoke before me and I thought I was going to be the only Native American, let alone a Navajo, who was going to present a comment. He was so eloquent and well-spoken. I talked to him then but it wasn't until this past year we found out we are cousins. Funny how life throws those curveballs.
Can you give us an update on your work concerning the REAL ID ACT of 2005:
LM: I have taken somewhat of a break from this, because I needed to pay off bills, get a new career started and find myself and enjoy meeting new family, the Kirks and the Pachecos. I've been attempting to balance that and continue to volunteer for NALEO Education Fund Citizenship Classes, filling out the N400 forms for qualified applicants.
Tell us about the conference you attended at Pepperdine and what topic you presented:
LM: I was invited by Bert Ballard, co-chair for the conference INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION: ORPHAN RESCUE OR CHILD-TRAFFICKING?
Bert had invited me to a previous conference at Claremont Colleges in California last year for the same InterCountry Adoption conference and I'd attended their dinner. Bert Ballard is one of the Operation Babylift Vietnam babies and he also adopted two children with his wife.
Jennifer Kwon Dobbs (who I've known throughout this past year from the same events) has kept in constant communication with me. She was the organizer for our breakout session FORGOTTEN, DETAINED, REMOVED: TRANSNATIONAL ADOPTED PERSONS AND CITIZENSHIP RIGHTS. Caittlin Kee, McClane Layton (author of the Child Citizenship Act of 2000), and I were the presenters for this group.
I specifically told my story and I started with the video of The Morrill Family on National Television (Summer 1981) when my adoptive parents adopted seven Native Ojibwe Adoptees from Ontario, Canada: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPA3QeB_UpM
Then I talked about my story and my issues with citizenship being native, born on US soil. I went long but it was an introduction to putting Native American adoptees on the international map, especially with so many attendees from around the globe attending.One of the highlights was a private lunch with Ambassador Susan Jacobs, Special Advisor for Children's Issues, Bureau of Consular Affairs, US. Department of State. Marshall Derks, Branch Chief InterCountry Adoptions/US Department Of State/Bureau of Consular Affairs, McClane Layton, Bert Ballard, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Caitlin Kee and I were able to speak with her.
It was a "standing lunch" and I didn't eat much because we had a lot to cover; we went about 40 minutes with the seven of us. During the lunch I brought up my story and also Brent Snavely and Lisa Kay's contributions. (I'd asked for experiences on the Facebook page NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN ADOPTEES, hoping for different angles.) Those proved to be very good to support my story as well. We also briefly discussed Adoptive Couple vs Baby Girl (the baby Veronica case). All in all it was a wonderful lunch, all of us spoke about many angles, including genocide, the Hague and UN definition; with Jennifer being a Korean Adoptee, me being Navajo with citizenship issues and how I had recently overcome the Real ID Act; and McClane Layton's authoring the Child Citizenship Act.
Who attended and what significance do you think the Pepperdine conference had on the people who attended:
LM: Notable attendees were: U.S. Ambassador Susan Collins; Ambassador Susan S Jacobs; Marshall Derks, Branch Chief, Intercountry Adoptions US Dept. of State; Whitney Reitz, Senior Policy Advisor on International Child Welfare, Office of US Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisanna; David Smolin, Cumberland Law School; Elizabeth Bartholet, Harvard Law School; Benyam dawit Mezmur, Chairperson of the African Commitee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child Member of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child; Isaac Obiro, Attorney Ekirapa & Co Advocates, Kampala Uganda; Mark Riley, Adovcate & Consultant at Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development Uganda; and many others.
I gave copies of the anthology "TWO WORLDS: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects" to Mark Riley, Marshall Derks, Ambassador Susan Jacobs, Bert Ballard, Whitney Reitz, Caitlin Kee, Jennifer Kwon Dobbs, Kit Myers and then left some on a central table, where they were snatched up.
Also, of interest, one of the attendees, Katheryn Joyce, author of Quiverfull: Inside the Christian Patriarchy Movement (Beacon Press, 2009) and The Child Catchers: Rescue, Trafficking and the New Gospel of Adoption, had our book TWO WORLDS on her "to read list." She described the cover, but unfortunately, I had given out all the copies and went back to the table the second day & the remaining ones had been claimed. Hopefully she reads the book.
David Smolin at Cumberland School of Law posed the question: "Do you think this is an issue that my law school's new center for children, law, and ethics could usefully take up?" I told him YES, and sent him some information.
Also, I had informed Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly about the conference and he responded: "Thank you Mr. Morrill for sending this over. I look forward to learning more about this issue. It is also good to know that our Navajo people, like yourself, are included in these important discussions. We wish you all the best with your upcoming event."
Hopefully some great networking has begun and we are on the page internationally, not only through my efforts but as a collective group of Native advocates...it takes a village.
You gave copies of Two Worlds: Lost Children to the Dr. Phil show. Do you think they plan to do an update to the Baby Veronica case closer to the Supreme Court hearing in April?
LM: My humble opinion is only if the case Adoptive Couple vs Baby Girl (the baby Veronica case) provides enough media coverage for the show to boost ratings and to have a re-visit. Just from observing, being in the audience on several occasions, I know Dr. Phil McGraw & his wife Robin are great caring people. Television is edited so you only see the "drama" that will keep people captivated, get viewership, and draw advertising.
So, hopefully the Baby Veronica Case will create a buzz.
Big thanks to Leland Morrill who is a contributor to the anthology TWO WORLDS: Lost Children of the Indian Adoption Projects. He lives in Los Angeles and works as an actor.
Two Worlds (paperback) is available on Amazon.com and the e-book version is on Nook, Kindle, Kobo and more.
Labels: #DR PHIL #Propaganda #ICWA, American Indian history, Baby Veronica Case, billion dollar adoption industry, Leland P Morrill, Pepperdine conference, Two Worlds
NPR update: Maine, Tribes Seek 'Truth And Reconciliation'
Listen to the Story
In Maine, an unusual and historic process is under way to document child welfare practices that once resulted in Indian children being forcibly removed from their homes. Many of the Native children were placed with white foster parents and with white adoptive families. Chiefs from all five of Maine's tribes, along with Gov. Paul LePage, have created a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to help heal the wounds.
Read the entire transcript here: http://www.npr.org/2013/03/12/174080043/maine-tribes-seek-truth-and-reconciliation
Sandy WhiteHawk is correct - we do not know how many children were taken. You can visit her website here: http://wearecominghome.com/Sandy_White_Hawk.html
Contact her organization, First Nations Repatriation Association!NS REPATRIATION INSTITUTE
Labels: Maine's apology for Indian Adoption Projects, NPR investigation, Sandy WhiteHawk, Split feathers syndrome, Wabanaki Tribal Truth and Reconciliation Commission
History: Indian Child Welfare Act
History Behind Enactment of The Indian Child Welfare Act
In 1978 Congress enacted the Indian Child Welfare Act ii (Act or ICWA), in response to a national crisis in which an alarmingly high percentage of Indian families were being broken up due to the often misguided removal of Indian children from their families and tribal communities. Prior to the Act's passage, Senate oversight hearings in 1974 yielded numerous examples, statistical data, and expert testimony documenting "the wholesale removal of Indian children from their homes ... the most tragic aspect of Indian life today." iii Congress also heard testimony indicating that, by conservative estimates, one out of five Indian children has lived in foster or adoptive home at some time. iv It was found in States with large Indian populations an incredible 25 to 35 percent of Indians were in out of home placement or adoptive homes at one time in their lives.v
In Minnesota for example between 1972 and 1974, one-quarter of Indian children under one year of age were adopted. vi In Minnesota Indian children were placed in foster care or adoptive homes at a per-capita rate of five times that of non-Indians, and 97.5% of Indian children placed for adoption were placed into non-Indian families. The removal rates for Indian children in other states were just as alarming. In South Dakota Indian children were disproportionally represented in foster care at a rate of sixteen times that of non-Indians. vii In Washington Indian children were being adopted at a rate of nineteen times that of non-Indians. viii
The disproportionate rate at which Indian families were being broken up has had severe consequences to Indian children, parents, and tribal communities. Dr. Joseph Westermeyer, a University of Minnesota social psychiatrist, testified to Congress about his research, which indicated that Indian adolescents who are raised in non-Indian homes typically have difficulty coping in white society, despite the fact they had been raised in a white environment. ix A 1975 report prepared for the American Academy of Child Psychiatry states, "native American children placed in off-reservation non-Indian homes are at risk in their later development. Often enough they are cared for by devoted and well-intentioned foster or adoptive parents. Nonetheless, particularly in adolescence, they are subject to ethnic confusion and a pervasive sense of abandonment." x
Puyallup Tribal Chair Ramona Bennet succinctly stated the parents' perspective: "If you lose your children, you are dead; you are never going to be rehabilitated, you are never going to get well." xi
For the tribes, Congress heard the testimony of Mr. Calvin Isaac, Tribal Chief of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indian, who stated:
Culturally, the chances of Indian survival are significantly reduced if our children, the only real means for the transmission of the tribal heritage, are to be raised in non-Indian homes and denied exposure to the ways of their People. Furthermore, these practices seriously undercut the tribes' ability to continue as self-governing communities. Probably in no area is it more important that tribal sovereignty be respected than in an area as socially and culturally determinative as family relationships. xii
Chief Isaac also summarized the principal reason for the high rates of removal of Indian children:
One of the most serious failings of the present system is that Indian children are removed from the custody of their natural parents by non-tribal governmental authorities who have no basis for intelligently evaluating the cultural and social premises underlying Indian home life and child rearing. Many of the individuals who decide the fate of our children are at best ignorant of our cultural values, and at worst contemptful of the Indian way and convinced that removal, usually to a non-Indian household or institution, can only benefit an Indian child. xiii
One of the particular points of concern to Congress was the failure of social workers to understand the role of the Indian extended family. The House Report on ICWA thus states:
An Indian child may have scores of, perhaps more than a hundred, relatives who are counted as close, responsible members of the family. Many social workers, untutored in the ways of Indian family life or assuming them socially irresponsible, consider leaving the child with persons outside the nuclear family as neglect and thus grounds for terminating parental rights. xiv
In addition to the alarming removal rates of Indian children is the Federal Governments well documented involvement in the destruction of Indian families through Federal policies. For example in 1971, 17% of Indian children where removed from families to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) boarding schools. xv The Indian children were often times isolated from families and punished for speaking their own language and practicing their own religion. Based upon this evidence, in passing the ICWA Congress found:
...that the States, exercising their recognized jurisdiction over Indian child-custody proceedings through administrative and judicial bodies, have often failed to recognize the essential tribal relations of Indian people and the cultural and social standards prevailing in Indian communities and families. xvi
The Indian Child Welfare Act addresses the crisis in Indian placement in two ways. First, it provides that no Indian child may be removed from the home unless qualified Indian expert testimony indicates that the child is in danger of experiencing physical or emotional harm. xvii This requirement, if followed, will ensure that removal of an Indian child from the home is based upon objective indicia of harm to the child, rather that subjectively applied cultural or social standards. Secondly, where Indian expert testimony does indicate that likelihood that continued custody in the home will result in harm to the child, the ICWA generally requires that the child be removed from the home, but placed, in order of preference, within the Indian extended family, within the family of the child's tribal affiliation, or within another Indian family. xviii Placement of Indian children in Indian homes was Congress' way of ensuring that when state court and child-protection agencies place Indian children outside of the home, they do not sever the children from their only means of receiving their cultural heritage - the Indian family. xix
Congress found as the purpose of the Act:
The congress hereby declares that it is the policy of this Nation to protect the best interest of Indian children and to promote the stability and security of Indian tribes and families by the establishment of minimum federal standards for the removal of Indian children from their families and the placement of such children in foster or adoptive homes which will reflect the unique values of Indian culture, and by providing for assistance to Indian tribes in the operation of child and family programs.
Congress concluded as the legislative history shows that proper implementation of the Act itself would serve the "best interests" of Indian children.
i Parts of the following History were taken from the Indian Child Welfare Law Center Case for Support (6/28/93) prepared by Mark Fiddler.
ii 25 U.S.C. § 1901 et seq. (1978).
ii Indian Child Welfare Program, Hearings before the Subcommittee on Indian Affairs of the Senate Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, 93 Cong., 2d Sess., at 3 (1974)(statement of William Byler)(herinafter 1974 Hearings).
iv American Indian Policy Review Commission, Report on Federal, State, and Tribal Jurisdiction, at 19 (1976) (hearinafter the 1976 Report).
v The House Report, H.R. Rep. No. 1386, 95th Cong., 2nd Sess. (1978), reprinted in 1978 U.S. Code Cong. & Ad. News 7530 (hereinafter House Report) at page 9.
vi See House Report at 9.
vii Id.
viii Id.
ix 1974 Hearings, at 46.
x Indian Child Welfare Act of 1977 Hearing on S.1214 before the Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs, 95 Cong., 1st Sess. (1977), at 114 (hereinafter the 1977 Hearings)(statement of Drs. Carl Mindell and Alan Gurwitt, American Academy of Psychiatry).
xi Id. at 164.
xii Hearings on S. 1214 before the Subcommittee on Indian Affairs and Public Lands of the House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, 95th Cong., 2d Sess. (1978), at 193 (hereinafter 1978 Hearings).
xiii Id, at 191-192.
xiv House Report at 10.
xv House Report at 9.
xvi 25 U.S.C. § 1901.
xvii 25 U.S.C. § 1912(e),(f).
xviii 25 U.S.C. § 1915.
xix See House Report at 19 (where the House stated that compliance with ICWA is "in the best interest of an Indian child").
If you need help or more information:
Indian Child Welfare Act Law Center
1730 Clifton Place
Labels: #Adoption, #ICWA, #NDN, American Indian history, Split Feathers
Tribes line up support as Supreme Court takes up ICWA dispute
The National Congress of American Indians and the Native American Rights Fund are lining up some major support as the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl, an Indian Child Welfare Act case.
At least a dozen briefs will be filed in support of Dusten Brown, a member of the Cherokee Nation whose rights are at issue in the case. Briefs are coming from individual tribes, national tribal organizations, adult Indian adoptees, several states, national child welfare organizations, law professors, religious groups, psychologists' associations, current and former members of Congress, military and veterans organizations and even the American Civil Liberties Union.
"We have brought our A-team to this case," NARF attorney Richard Guest said at NCAI's 2013 executive council winter session in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
Read it here: http://www.indianz.com/News/2013/008782.asp
Labels: #Adoption, #ICWA, Adoptee Rights, Cherokee, NCAI
Kind Hearted Woman: Documentary follows Sioux woman's struggle
Watch Kind Hearted Woman Preview on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.
http://www.jamestownsun.com/event/article/id/181060/group/News/
By Chuck Haga, Forum News Service, The Jamestown Sun
GRAND FORKS - The Spirit Lake Nation's continuing efforts to deal with deficiencies in its child protection system is about to get another round of national exposure.
The PBS news program "Frontline" has produced a two-part documentary titled "Kind Hearted Woman" featuring Robin Charboneau, a 32-year-old divorced single mother who lived on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.
The documentary follows her over three years, according to PBS, as she "struggles to raise her two children, further her education and heal herself from the wounds of sexual abuse she suffered as a child."
The programs are to air April 1 and 2.
The tribe's problems, especially allegations of sexual abuse of children and failure of authorities to investigate and prosecute sexual predators, already have received considerable regional and national attention.
The exposure has been promoted, welcomed or at least tolerated by some at Spirit Lake who have been critical of responses so far by tribal government, the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs and FBI. Other tribal members have lamented the attention, however, arguing that it paints a false picture of conditions and efforts by the tribe to make improvements.
At a "town hall" meeting on the reservation Wednesday, organized by the BIA at the urging of Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., several members of the tribe decried the "negative" focus of the attention. One man asked that news cameras be removed. Organizers declined to do that, saying the meeting had been set up and advertised as an open session.
Charboneau, who also uses the name Robin Poorbear, was among those who spoke at the Wednesday meeting. Along with several others, she challenged Mark Little Owl, hired by the tribe last summer as director of tribal social services.
Helping victims, raising awareness
The PBS documentary was done by filmmaker David Sutherland, who previously produced the documentary portraits "Country Boys" and "The Farmer's Wife."
"Kind Hearted Woman" opens with Charboneau walking home on the reservation after a 20-day stay at a rehabilitation center.
"Now I'm sober," she says, "and I'm really, really scared I'm going to start drinking again."
According to PBS, the two-part program will follow Charboneau through a custody battle with her ex-husband over her two children, her efforts to obtain a college degree and her hopes of becoming a social worker.
"When Robin's daughter reveals that her father has sexually abused her, echoing Robin's own childhood abuse, it ignites both emotional turmoil and a dramatic criminal trial in federal court," according to PBS.
(Anthony Charboneau was convicted in U.S. District Court in Fargo in 2009 of sexual abuse and abusive sexual contact of minors, according to court records. He was sentenced to almost four years in prison. He appealed the conviction, but his appeal was rejected in January by the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.)
Robin had lost custody of her children to the tribe, "a move Robin believes is the result of her ex-husband's connections to tribal leaders," according to PBS, but when her ex-husband is convicted she regains custody and moves to International Falls, Minn.
There, Robin works as a sexual-abuse educator, her daughter organizes a fundraiser for victims of domestic abuse, and the family participates in a walk to raise awareness.
"A march like this could never happen on the Spirit Lake Reservation," Robin says in the documentary, according to PBS, "because there, we just don't talk about abuse."
A spokesman for the tribe said Friday that tribal officials were not aware of the documentary.
A spokeswoman for PBS said the company has reported on the ongoing child protection issue at Spirit Lake, including a report on Wednesday's meeting, and that attempts have been made to speak with tribal officials but were unsuccessful.
The documentary is separate from that reporting, the spokeswoman said. "This doesn't fall under Frontline's typical investigative work," she said. It is rather a portrait, "one woman's journey."
For more on the documentary, visit www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kind-hearted-woman.
Please watch this one. It's vital we help parents who are struggling to keep and raise their own children. More effort is needed to help all families, to keep them intact which is better than fostering and adopting children out to strangers...Trace
Watch http://video.pbs.org/video/2332643066" David Sutherland, Filmmaker
on PBS.
Labels: Independent Lens, Kind Hearted Woman, North Dakota, Spirit Lake Reservation
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text:
Home News Frank Macher's Charlevoix home sold at auction for $9.8 million
Frank Macher's Charlevoix home sold at auction for $9.8 million
According to Kirk, $ 98.45 million in sales was the fifth highest ever in Michigan.
The sale ended on Tuesday. Rick Rovenhertz, an associate broker at Berkshire Hathaway Home Services in Charlevoix, said buyers bought real estate through LLC to maintain anonymity. Neither Kirk nor Rovenhertz revealed the buyer's name. Neely said she didn't know it. However, Kirk said the buyer came from the Detroit area and would use a 7-bedroom, 8.5-bathroom home as a second home.
"They want to be something now," Rovenhertz said. "I can't really emphasize that. How important is time to people these days? Most people in this price range have been looking for it for a long time."
Neely said the house had been in and out of the market several times before his father died at the age of 80. The house, built in 2009, was a memorable place for many families. And they decided that the auction was the best choice.
"It makes much more sense than it would take another year or two to sell this," she said. "It's another way of looking at selling your home and it really worked for us."
Located on Lake Charles Bois, the house has a waterfront near 200 feet, a theater room, a family games room with an import bar, and a 2,000 wine cellar. The 3-acre site also features a second-floor sundeck, an outdoor fireplace and pavilion, and a dock with two electric boat lifts. That's 16,000 square feet.
"There's plenty of space and the scenery is amazing," Neely said. "It's a beautiful house."
Lobenherz said he recommended the auction after working with Interluxe before the sale. He said he was happy with the process, including the individual sale of home fixtures to buyers.
"This property is unique and still sells for about half the exchange price," he said. "In a short period of time, interest and topics will increase."
According to Kirk, in the 30 days that the house was sold to potential buyers, more than 1,500 inquiries were received and 31 groups of qualified buyers were able to tour the house. Others (including the final purchaser) never set foot in the house, but took part in 3D tours and toured agents. Ten bidders participated in the auction itself.
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I Found One Drop: Can I Be Black Now?
"I recently availed myself of my university's online resources and did some genealogical digging about my white conservative family. It turns out that one of our ancestors was an African-American slave who passed as white. His is an incredibly powerful story about a dark chapter in our nation's history, and I believe that it is important that his suffering be remembered. I thought that my family would also be excited about this new information, but instead the responses ranged from rejection to contempt.
"Despite that, I've embraced this revelation and started to study African-American history. I'm proud to be part black and want to learn as much as I can about this part of me, but here's my quandary: Do I check on forms that I am both Caucasian and African American? I technically qualify, according to the Office of Management and Budget definition, which states that ' "Black or African American" refers to a person having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa,' but I don't look black and didn't grow up in African-American culture.
First, I congratulate you on developing a perspective different from that of your relatives, who sound horrible. If everyone thought as seriously as you do about his or her public and private statements about race, we'd all be better off.
Second, breathe. No, seriously. Calm down and set the forms aside for now. There are options other than "liar" and "self-loathing racist." You don't have to be either.
Your ancestral discovery is new to you, but you're not the first person with an extended family tree that's more complicated than meets the eye.
23andme.com researchers told The Root that the average African American is 22 percent European and that "3 percent to 4 percent of people likely to consider themselves as all 'white' have some African ancestry — between 0.5 percent and 5 percent." So, while having a person or two in your lineage who doesn't mirror the way you identify yourself isn't as common for people who identify as white, it's certainly not something with which Americans haven't grappled (or chosen not to grapple with) before.
On that note, I can't give you a rule about whether you should check the "black" box. I know! That's the whole reason you wrote. Sorry to disappoint.
So, even your super-official government definition (to say nothing of the old "one-drop rule" that preceded it) leaves some wiggle room about what's really meant by "black."
I asked Ulli K. Ryder, scholar-in-residence at Brown University, who studies identity formation and communication, about your query, and she said, "The most important thing is for her to do what feels right for her."
So, good news: You can do what you want. Bad news: You can only control your perception of yourself, not how others perceive you.
What feels right? How do you perceive yourself?
I actually think you already know.
First, I disagree that it's significant that you don't "look black" or didn't grow "in black culture." There aren't working definitions for either of those descriptors. Talk about that with the people of Pike County, Ohio, who strongly identify as African American despite the fact that many would say they look white; or our first black president, who was raised by his white mother and grew up in Hawaii and Indonesia.
But what I do think matters is whether your discovery has changed anything about your life. Racialization happens through personal interactions, treatment and institutions. You were racialized as white, and that remains the case. You say you're proud to be "part" African American, but it seems to me the way we approach "Am I black?" is a little like how we might evaluate "Am I in love?" In other words, the "maybe" implied by your sending me this question probably means "no."
One important note: Your private choice doesn't affect others, but the box you check on those university forms will. If I'm right about how you see yourself, checking the "black" box there could be misleading. It could, as Leonard put it, "provide a mirage of diversity" that would have the opposite of your intended racism-combating effect.
Maybe the dilemma — which I'm reading between the lines of your letter — is not to figure out if your whiteness has changed as the result of your discovery, but to become more comfortable with it without the fear of being racist or "self-loathing."
"This may include continuing to research African-American history, but may also include examining white privilege and the ways she may benefit from her whiteness even as she embraces this long-forgotten ancestor," said Ryder. Leonard suggests that instead of focusing on the box, you "start at home and not only check how your family responds to this history, but the costs and consequences of their racism outside their family."
In other words, it's great to acknowledge your ancestor as an important element of your history, but the real challenge will be to make sense of your personal and family identity in the broader context of race in this country. Sadly, there's no form for that.
Previously in Race Manners: "Should a Dinner Guest Call Out Racist Jokes?"