December 11, 2015 at 11:42 a.m.
ArtStart to host 'Missing Threads' screening
ArtStart to host 'Missing Threads' screening
Forest County Potawatomi Tribal Court Chief Judge Eugene L. White-Fish and Reetz will answer questions following the screening.
WICWA is the Wisconsin implementation of the Federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978 that recognized that Native American families were being broken apart at an alarming rate due to state social service departments removing children and placing them in non-Indian homes, the release explained. Studies in 1969 and 1974 showed that 25 to 35 percent of Native American children had been separated from their families and placed in foster care, institutions or adoptive families that were generally non-Native American. Congress recognized, in creating the act, that what was in the best interest of a non-Native American child was not necessarily in the best interest of an Indian child, according to the press release. Both ICWA and WICWA were designed to protect the best interests of Native American children and promote stability and security of Native American tribes and families, the release notes.
"Missing Threads" is designed to increase understanding of the pivotal influence of tribal culture and connection for Native American children and the negative impacts for the child, the family and tribal culture when that connection is missing. WICWA was enacted in 2009.
Judge White-Fish can speak as someone with experience with the system pre- and post- WICWA from both personal and legal perspectives, the release notes. He was honored for his work with the national Tribal Child Support Association, receiving The Judges Award for Professional Excellence. He is past president of the National American Indian Court Judges Association.
Reetz has produced documentaries and videos on numerous topics including "Missing Threads" and is a member of the International Documentary Association. She resides in the Wausau area and is a partner in Rucinski and Reetz Communication.
Admission is free, or by free-will donation. Rhinelander ArtStart is located at 68 S. Stevens St. in Rhinelander. For more information, visit www.ArtStartRhinelander.org.
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