Testimony Before the New York City Council Committee on General Welfare and Committee on Hospitals
Hello, I’m Robbyne Wiley, a Parent Leader at Rise. Rise supports parents to become advocates for change in child welfare. I am a parent who was affected by the child welfare system. From being on that side of the table, I can now support other parents, and train professionals working in the system to understand parents’ perspectives.
I’m here today to support changes … Read More
I started smoking crack in 1980 after I was hit by a drunk driver and became disabled. That was a real trauma for me.
After the accident, I was ashamed of my body. The damage to my hip caused me to walk with a severe limp. I just wanted to hide. Crack helped me do that.
Because of my addiction, my two middle children were placed in the child welfare system for three years. My youngest child … Read More
Twelve years ago, when my son Caiseem was 5, he came home from foster care, where he had been since birth. Caiseem is the youngest of my four children. I’ve always felt a strong connection with each one of my children, but with Caiseem, something was missing.
Pieces Missing
While he was in care, I would visit Caiseem at the agency, and during those visits I could feel that something wasn’t right. I felt … Read More
I tried many times to remove crack from my life. It was hard, very hard, because it was all around. My sister got high. My neighbors got high. Yes, I lived in the projects. With all 21 floors, I could get high in at least 15 different apartments.
People would come to my house asking me to get high with them, or yell from the window, “Robin, come upstairs for a minute.” Temptation would lead me … Read More
One night I met a man who treated me so nice. He was light skinned, with beautiful brown eyes, and he always called me beautiful. All my life I’d felt ugly because I have dark skin and got teased for it. Then I got hit by a car. The accident left me with a serious limp. When my hip hurt, he liked to pick me up and carry me. I felt like a queen.
But after … Read More
