Search Results for: they will not win

An Unavoidable System: The Harms of Family Policing and Parents’ Vision for Investing in Community Care

September 29, 2021 by

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This report shares the results of a participatory action research project that Rise conducted in winter 2021 in partnership with TakeRoot Justice. Our research documents parents’ experiences with the family policing system and explores a collective vision to transform our society’s structures, policies and practices related to family and community support.

Imaginative and sometimes painful community conversations with 48 people impacted by ACS provide the foundation of this report. Findings also reflect 58 anonymous surveys by parents impacted by ACS.

PAR Team Profiles

September 21, 2021 by

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Halimah Washington, Community Coordinator, PAR Project Lead

I am a Black Mama from New York City who is directly impacted by the family regulation system with involvement going back multiple generations. My experience with the family policing system speaks to how it stays in people’s lives for multiple generations, never helping, but continuing to cause harm and trauma throughout the generations. I am passionate about this work because Black and brown families deserve to thrive and … Read More

Parents Reflect on the Importance of the Child Tax Credit

September 07, 2021 by

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In a recent Rise support circle, parents directly impacted by ACS discussed the necessity of the Child Tax Credit and stimulus payments for their families. Parents were able to use these payments to cover essentials like food, since food stamps don’t go far enough. They were also able to use the money to pay or catch up on rent. One parent shared that she was able to buy furniture and another was able to pay their child’s phone bill. Rise supports making the Child Tax Credit permanent and other efforts to provide direct cash assistance and increased benefits to families.

Syesha Mercado Was Targeted by the Hospital and CPS — A Common Experience for Black Women

August 20, 2021 by

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It is no surprise to me that American Idol star Syesha Mercado had her children taken from her under these horrific circumstances, because I went through something similar. Mercado was seeking help and care for her child –– and instead, her one-year-old son and newborn were both taken away. Tragically, this is common within the world of family policing, commonly known as “child welfare”. Many Black parents, myself included, have sought support from hospitals, only to be met with new traumas and more health issues.

‘Doing Activities Together Brings Us Closer and Helps Us Relax and Have Fun’

July 29, 2021 by

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For fun, my son Aaron and I like to go to museums, playgrounds and zoos. Our favorite museum is Brooklyn Children’s Museum. There is so much to do there that even if you go a lot, you will always find something new to entertain you. Aaron loves to go in the sandbox, look at pretend animals, build in the block lab, play with colored sand and use the water table.

Sitting at home and doing nothing doesn’t seem so bad, right? You can sleep late, play on electronics all day. But that gets boring and lonely and leads to stress. I like to see Aaron happy and to see that he is social and can make friends easily. Doing these things together brings us closer and helps us relax and have fun.

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