The Imprint: The Sad Omission of Child Welfare from Mainstream Discussion on Race

“As thousands of Black people and their allies are protesting the systemic racism and police brutality that have been part of the fabric of this society for centuries, some white Americans appear ready to discuss the damage that oppression has done to Black and brown people. Books about anti-racism are flying off the shelves. There are calls to defund the police.

As public defenders who represent families in child protective cases, we’re dismayed that dismantling child welfare has not been part of the mainstream conversation.

The so-called child welfare system suffers from the same structural racism as the police and destroys Black and brown lives through family separation and government surveillance. Family separation is violence. It’s time to see the similarities between these two systems and the need for change.”

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