A New Vision: Advocating for Families to Live Free of Child Welfare Policing and Punishment: In 2017, the horrific murder of Zymere Perkins ended the city child welfare agency’s trajectory away from policing and punishment. Media fell back on false and biased narratives. The number of investigations, emergency removals and court-ordered supervision of families all jumped. In 2017 and 2018, more new families entered child welfare supervision each year than at the hysterical height of the crack epidemic. This time, the system used tactics of surveillance and intrusion rather than separation, terrifying families but remaining below the radar of the public.

• In 2018, Rise staff stepped back to name a new goal and new strategy: To mobilize parents to address root causes of child welfare in impacted communities in order to keep families free of contact with the child welfare system, and to build a pipeline of parent leadership within Rise and in impacted communities.
• Rise celebrated the growing power of the parent advocacy movement nationwide– including allies in Washington State, Minnesota, Chicago, Florida, Oregon, Michigan, New Mexico–as well as across the globe.
• Current Assistant Director for Programs and Culture Bianca Shaw and Senior Parent Leader Keyna Franklin joined the staff.
• Rise celebrated the growing power of the parent advocacy movement nationwide– including allies in Washington State, Minnesota, Chicago, Florida, Oregon, Michigan, New Mexico–as well as across the globe.