I was 2 years old when I got adopted, and 7 when my biological mom stopped visiting me with no explanation. Even though those changeshappened when I was so young, I think they’ve affected me to this day.
For years I wanted to find my biological mother. I used to cry just thinking of her at night. I missed her so much. As I got older, I wanted to live with her and be … Read More
When children have been in foster care for more than 15 months, federal law requires in most cases that child welfare agencies file toterminate their parents’ rights and move the child as quickly as possible into a permanent adoptive home. The idea is that children do best when they grow up with stability, but courts are finding that, for too many foster youth, adoption isn’t always permanent. Family court lawyers and judges often … Read More
On Dec. 22, I saw my neighbor’s son being stopped and frisked by the police. In New York City, police stop and frisk hundreds of thousands of young men of color in poor communities. Of the 686,000 stop-and-frisks last year, 84 percent were of blacks and Latinos. I have five sons, and my sons have been stopped and frisked so many times.
That December day, I asked the police, “What’s going on? … Read More
My son’s problems started in high school. My son had always done well at small schools but he wound up in a school with more than 3,000kids. There were too many kids getting into trouble and the school did too much policing. I knew from the beginning there was too much for my son to explore. I met with the principal, the parent coordinator, and the guidance counselor. They all assured me that … Read More
New York City teens convicted of crimes have usually been sent to facilities upstate, far from their families. Now an initiative called Closeto Home will change that—these teens will receive services at home or go to city residences where they can stay more connected to their families and communities. Reverend Emma Jordan-Simpson, executive director of the Children’s Defense Fund of New York and chair of the Office of Children and Families Brooklyn for … Read More
