(StatePoint) Tribal elders have traditionally been seen as sources of wisdom, comfort and guidance for younger generations, including for their grandchildren. Nearly 2.5 million children in the United States live in grandfamilies, which are families in which children are being raised by grandparents, other extended family members, or adults with whom they have a close family-like relationship. American Indian and Alaska Native children are more likely to live in grandfamilies than children of any other racial or ethnic group.
Sonya Begay of the Navajo Nation has been raising her grandchildren since her son passed away. During the COVID-19 pandemic, even tasks as simple as shopping for household necessities became challenging.
“Elders cannot get their certain things, because obviously there’s transportation issues, or nobody will take them over there. And even though you give them the hour earlier to get into a market or whatever, it still would take so much time for them just to even get the basic necessities,” said Begay. “And that was a sad situation the whole time.”
Yet, where there is support, there is hope. Begay is a member of Generations United’s GRAND Voices, a group of grandparents and other relative caregivers from across the country. The members serve as partners to inform policies and practices affecting grandfamilies and help them thrive. The group also informs the first federally funded technical assistance center, Generations United’s Grandfamilies & Kinship Support Network. The network coordinates the work of five partners, including the National Indian Child Welfare Association, an organization that works with tribes and states to improve support and policies for American Indian and Alaska Native children.
This past summer, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which gives preference to placing adoptable Indigenous children with members of their extended family, members of their tribe, or members of another tribe. This remains a critical part of protecting Indigenous culture and heritage as well as tribal sovereignty.
To learn more about Generations United’s support networks and see how you can get involved, visit www.gu.org.
While Indigenous grandfamilies face unique challenges, support and smart policies are helping them thrive.
Photo Credit: (c) Grandriver / iStock
