Stoneleigh Emerging Leader Fellow Karissa Phelps penned an op-ed for Generocity that discusses how keeping children within their family and community circles can counteract the inherent racism in a child welfare system that routinely undermines strong Black families and strong Black identity.
Across the nation, Black families are torn apart by the child welfare system more frequently than white families experiencing similar levels of abuse or neglect.
Government intervention to separate parents and children is one of the highest forms of power exerted over the individual and undermines one’s sense of security and personal identity at a fundamental level. The disproportionate deconstruction of Black families involved in child welfare paints a quantifiable picture that our systems treat Black families and Black familial ties as less worthy of protection.
