National Book Award winner Ned Blackhawk on how Native peoples have shaped U.S. history

By Kevin Chang Barnum,

Wayne Edwards, Khalilah Brown-Dean, Meg Dalton, Catie Talarski

Published November 21, 2023 at 2:01 PM EST

Two people stand in front of the Supreme Court building. They are holding a banner between them that says "EVERY CHILD MATTERS." The banner is orange and has a drawing of two feathers tied together and pointed down on it. — Demonstrators stand outside of the U.S. Supreme Court, as the court hears arguments over the Indian Child Welfare Act on Nov. 9, 2022, in Washington. The Supreme Court has preserved the system that gives preference to Native American families in foster care and adoption proceedings of Native children. The court left in place the 1978 Indian Child Welfare Act, which was enacted to address concerns that Native children were being separated from their families and, too frequently, placed in non-Native homes.

Ned Blackhawk's book 'The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History,' just won a National Book Award. In recognition of that award, we listen back to our interview with Professor Blackhawk. We also hear Professor of Law Matthew L.M. Fletcher give us the context around the Supreme Court ruling on the Indian Child Welfare Act from earlier this year.

GUESTS:

Matthew L.M. Fletcher: the Harry Burns Hutchins Collegiate Professor of Law and Professor of American Culture at the University of Michigan and a citizen of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. He is appointed to the appellate court of several tribes
Ned Blackhawk: Professor of History and American Studies at Yale. His most recent book, 'The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History,' just won a National Book Award

This episode originally aired on July 5, 2023.

Special thanks to our interns Carol Chen and Stacey Addo.

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