Indian Preference, also known as Indian Preference in hiring, refers to employment policies which aim to increase representation of American Indians within certain workplaces, particularly within organizations dedicated to the welfare of American Indians. Not all federal agencies use Indian Preference. Indian Preference is used by US federal agencies such as the
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States List of United States federal agencies, federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Interior, Department of the Interior. It is responsible for im ...
and the
Indian Health Service
The Indian Health Service (IHS) is an operating division (OPDIV) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). IHS is responsible for providing direct medical and public health services to members of federally recognized Native ...
. Applicants for Indian Preference must be citizens of federally recognized American Indian tribes, or descendants of those tribes who meet specific criteria.
History
Indian Preference was first developed during the
New Deal
The New Deal was a series of wide-reaching economic, social, and political reforms enacted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the United States between 1933 and 1938, in response to the Great Depression in the United States, Great Depressi ...
period,
evolving from the
Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. The intent of Indian Preference was to improve Indian self-government, self-representation, and welfare.
The
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...
has ruled that Indian Preference is not a form of racial discrimination under
Title VII of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...
, as being American Indian is not a race, but a political status.
Federal agencies that use Indian Preference include the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Indian Health Service, the
United States Office of Personnel Management
The United States Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is an independent agency of the United States government that manages the United States federal civil service. The agency provides federal human resources policy, oversight, and support, an ...
, the
Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation, the
United States Department of Agriculture
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...
, and the White House Initiative for American Indian and Alaskan Native Education.
See also
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Affirmative action in the United States
In the United States, affirmative action consists of government-mandated, government-approved, and voluntary private programs granting special consideration to groups considered or classified as historically excluded, specifically racial minor ...
*
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
In the United States, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are organizational frameworks that seek to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject ...
*
Self-governance
Self-governance, self-government, self-sovereignty or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority (sociology), authority. It may refer to pers ...
*
Tribal sovereignty in the United States
Tribal sovereignty in the United States is the concept of the inherent authority of tribe (Native American), Indigenous tribes to govern themselves within the borders of the United States.
The Federal government of the United States, U.S. ...
References
External links
How Indian Preference has been transformational for the federal service and for American Indians and Alaska Natives London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...
{{Native American rights
Native American law
Self-governance