by Hayley Feland
Minnesota GOP Chairman David Hann condemned Rep. Heather Keeler’s comments about “white Christians” adopting Native American children, calling it a “racist rant”.
“I’m sick of white Christians adopting our babies and rejoicing. It’s a really sad day when that happens. It means the genocide continues,” Keeler, a Democrat from Moorhead, said in a recent Facebook post.
Her post ended with: “White saviors are the worst!”
Hann called upon Gov. Tim Walz, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, and DFL Chairman Ken Martin to “unequivocally denounce this hateful speech.”
“There is no place in our political discourse for attacks on Minnesotans’ races or religions. We condemn this hateful and extremist rhetoric in the strongest possible terms and call on the Democrats to do the same,” Hann said.
Walz, Hortman, and Martin did not respond to Alpha News’ request for comment regarding Keeler’s Facebook post.
Keeler is the author of a bill in the Minnesota House that would codify aspects of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) into state law. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling this spring on a case that challenges the constitutionality of ICWA.
According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, ICWA recognizes “Tribal jurisdiction over decisions for their Indian children” in state child-custody proceedings.
“The state of Minnesota recognizes all federally recognized Indian Tribes as having the inherent authority to determine their own jurisdiction for any and all Indian child custody or child placement proceedings regardless of whether the Tribe’s members are on or off the reservation and regardless of the procedural posture of the proceeding,” the proposed bill language states.
In a public statement on her bill, Keeler said that removing Native American children from the tribal community is a “form of genocide.”
“Raising our next generation and keeping them in our Indigenous families is essential to preserving our culture, language, traditions, and way of life,” she said. “We need to protect our Indigenous families and the integrity of our relatives.”
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Hayley Feland previously worked as a journalist with The Minnesota Sun, The Wisconsin Daily Star, and The College Fix. She is a Minnesota native with a passion for politics and journalism.
Photo “Heather Keeler” by Representative Heather Keeler.
