Protect ICWA

For 40 years, the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) has protected American Indian and Alaska Native children in child welfare proceedings by keeping them with extended family or tribes whenever possible. It’s been called the ‘gold standard’ of child welfare policy. But in the supreme court case Haaland v. Brackeen, a small group of well-funded, coordinated opponents argued that these protections should be taken away by the courts, leaving ICWA hanging in the balance.

A Supreme Court case attracts a lot of attention, making it the perfect opportunity to draw more advocates into the fight, which is what the Protect ICWA Campaign sought to do. A coalition made up of the National Indian Child Welfare Association, the Native American Rights Fund, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Association on American Indian Affairs brought RALLY on board to frame the issue and deepen the bench of ICWA supporters. Because of our extensive litigation communications experience, we knew that a Supreme Court case comes with the opportunity for visibility and distinct moments to drive awareness, engagement, and action.

Taking advantage of these opportunities, RALLY created accessible on-ramps for audiences that knew little or nothing about the issue. We built engaging social media pages that organically reached hundreds of thousands of people, received over 100,000 petition signatures, and positively influenced the overall narrative around ICWA in the press. Our earned media efforts, including ongoing pitching, messaging development, and spokesperson training, contributed to a stronger, more positive narrative around ICWA in the press. And, most importantly, on June 15, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act in full, protecting Native children, families, and tribal sovereignty itself.

RALLY rose to prominence through our litigation communications work surrounding marriage equality, and we have continued to bring that expertise to a variety of cases at the local, state, and federal levels. Over the past several years, RALLY has been deepening our work around Indigenous advocacy through partnerships with Native Americans in Philanthropy and Chinook Justice. RALLY also has deep experience in child welfare policy, advocacy, and narrative change through our ongoing work with Casey Family Programs and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, among others.