New Mexico Child First Network Celebrated 2021 Black History Month With Conversation Series on Raising and Supporting Black Youth in Foster Care and Beyond
Join New Mexico Child First Network as we celebrate and honor Black History Month with our monthlong conversation series on:
“Raising and Supporting Black Youth and Children in Foster Care and Beyond.”
We look forward to facilitating meaningful conversations, trainings, and discussion opportunities to encourage growth, awareness, and kindness in all of us. We are excited to embark upon this journey you. Join us for one event or all of them! And please, spread the word!
Black children are disproportionately overrepresented in foster care Black foster youth stay longer IN FOSTER CARE and are less likely to be adopted.
The share of children who are Black and in foster care remains much smaller than it was nearly decade ago. Even so, Black children are still overrepresented among youth in foster care relative to the general child population.
In 2018, Black children represented 14% of the total child population but 23% of all kids in foster care.
By comparison: White kids represent 50% of the nation’s child population and only 44% of its foster care population. Latino and Hispanic children represent 25% of kids nationwide yet just 21% of all kids in foster care. And Asian and Native Hawaiian kids make up 5% of the U.S. child population but only 1% of its foster care population. In other words, these three groups are under-represented in foster care when compared to their presence in the total child population.
From 2016 to 2018, the data on kids in foster care, broken down by race and ethnicity, has remained the same. This population has been 44% white, 23% Black, 21% Hispanic or Latino, 2% American Indian and 1% Asian or Native Hawaiian for the last three years, according to Child Trends, which analyzed data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System.
Black children are disproportionately overrepresented in child welfare and are 2.5 times more likely to be placed in foster care. Once in foster care, Black foster youth stay longer and are far less likely to be adopted.
February 5th, 12pm-1pm
TRAINING: It’s a Family Affair: Kinship and the Black Community
Prof. Sonia Gipson Rankin, JD discussed the history and importance of kinship care in the Black community. She also offered ways foster and adoptive parents can maintain and strengthen connections to Black kinship circles for their children.
Sorry you missed this. Happy to say, we recorded it! Click the button to watch now.
“Foster youth can hide their foster care status, but Black foster youth cannot hide their skin. Our Black foster youth exist in systems that are embedded with racism.”
— Dr. Kizzy Lopez, Fresno Pacific University
Training & q&A February 9th, 10Am-11Am
TRAINING: The CROWN Act: Serving New Mexico’s Youth
Panelists:
Sandi Kay, Filmmaker, NM Women in Film Board Member
Torri Jacobus, Managing Assistant City Attorney, Office of Civil Rights, City of Albuquerque
Malia Luarkie, Indigenous Women Rising
Alexandria "Niecy" Taylor - New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs
The New Mexico Black Central Organizing Committee is working to pass the CROWN Act in New Mexico this legislative session. Panelists will discuss the history of race based hair discrimination, important considerations for young Black children and youth's natural hair, and the protections afforded them in the CROWN Act.
The CROWN Act is sponsored by House Majority Floor Leader, Representative Sheryl Williams Stapleton and Senator Harold Pope.
Albuquerque City Councilor Lan Sena introduced the CROWN Act ordinance in the Albuquerque City Council in January 2021 which passed unanimously and was signed into law by Mayor Tim Keller.
Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
Black youth are three times more likely to be victims of reported child abuse or neglect, three times more likely to be victims of robbery, and five times more likely to be victims of homicide.
February 17th, 10Am-11Am
TRAINING: Community Health Worker and the Pathways Navigator Model
Presenter: Guillermina “Gig” Osori
Ms. Guillermina Osoria aka Gigi is a Afro Latina born in the land of Rio Piedra, Puerto Rico. My parents are from the Dominican Republic. She grow up in Passaic, NJ. with a Fashion Design Degree. Ms. Gigi has been a joyous activism from time She was 12 years old, navigating the healthcare system due to her mother mental illness and not speaking the English language. She moved from Florida to New Mexico in February 2019. She immediately became a Pathways Navigator for The International District Healthy Community Coalition and East Central Ministries. She is a Certified Community Health Worker, SOAR Representative, Lifestyle Coach for the National Diabetes Prevention Program, Silver Sneakers Instructor, Zumba Fitness Instructor, Comprehensive Community Support Services worker, and many more hats. Her goal is to provide her Community wrapped around services and support to the most vulnerable members of her Community. She is a mother of two amazing rises artists, a grandma, auntie, sister, and love herself, nature, her Community and the plant.
Gigi will be speaking about Community Health Worker and the Pathways Navigator model. Join us! Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
“I encourage people to be about excellence and do not let someone else’s low standards define you. An ounce of your excellence is going to outweigh a pound of their ignorance.”
– UNM Law School Assistant Professor Sonia Gipson Rankin
February 19th, 10Am-11Am
TRAINING: Roots Summer Leadership Academy Model: Transparently Reinforcing Social-Emotional Learning & Prosocial Behaviors in Youth
Presenters:
Yuri Findlay, Health Manager, NM Black Leadership Council
Cathryn McGill, Founder/Director, Roots Summer Leadership Academy/NM Black Leadership Council
Tonya Bryant, Roots Conservatory Manager
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Raising children, especially in the midst of a pandemic, is not a spectator sport. Building and fostering self-esteem and leadership in children may be the most important thing a parent can do to raise emotionally healthy children and ultimately individuated and self-empowered adults. This workshop will explore the Roots Summer Leadership Academy model and how we use the arts as a tool to promote positive prosocial behaviors and teach self-esteem and leadership skills for all children.
Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
By 4 years old, Black children had a 1 in 10 chance of being maltreated. By 10 years old, the risk was 4 in 25. Put another way, that's at least four students in every fifth-grade class. By 15 years old, Black youth had a 1 in 5 chance of having a CPS file.
February 22nd, 6pm-7pm
TRAINING: “Growing Generations: One Family's Journey Through Foster Care"
Meet Shakeita Harris. When her eldest daughter Tequasia, moved out of the house, she decided she wasn’t ready to think about becoming an empty nester, so, Shakeita and her family of then four, began their journey into foster care and love. Now Shakeita has started parenting “all over” and recently became an adoptive parent through foster care. Join us for this mother/daughter talk about love, laughter, triumph, and lessons learned when you “start over” as a family and continue growing generations through foster care.
“For many Black foster children, foster care is their only hope to survive abuse, poverty and homelessness. …. it can be the difference between life and death for many Black children. It was for me.”
— Eve Powers
Thursday feb 25th 11am - 12pm
TRAINING: Thriving Through Trauma:
In Her Own Words
Join Eve Powers, former foster youth, motivational speaker, and Foster Care Marketing Specialist at Trinity Youth Services as she shares her experiences through trauma and beyond as a former foster care youth.
Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
Black youth between the ages of 16 and 24 years are 83 percent more likely to report having experienced homelessness than youth of any other race.
February 28th, 3pm - 4pm
Film, discussion, and performance:
”R.A.W. Tuba”: The Power of Overcoming, Resilience & Determination
R.A.W. Tuba Film is the story of a Baltimore kid who experienced intermittent homelessness, and went on to become the first African American, in the world to receive Doctorate of Music in Tuba.
With over two decades of performing on the world’s classical music stages, tubist Dr Richard White has matured into a musician known for his clear sound and stylistic flexibility. He began his tuba studies with Ed. Goldstein at age twelve at The Baltimore School for the Performing Arts, where he graduated with honors. He then went to the Peabody Conservatory of Music to study with David Fedderly (Principal Tubist, Baltimore Symphony) where he received his Bachelor’s degree. On the advice of Mr. Fedderly, Richard traveled to Indiana University to study with the legendary Professor Daniel Perantoni. He continued his studies there receiving both his Master’s and Doctoral degrees.
PROGRAM:
Meet the Professor
Watch RAW Tuba Film
Concert
Q&A
Training certificates will be provided to all attendees who attend via Zoom.
“All people, including those we deem as most violent, deserve dignity and respect. Without that you have no opening to get anywhere.”
— Alexandria "Niecy" Taylor
Once Black children are removed from their homes, they are more likely than other races to enter juvenile detention and then prison.
Black Families and the Foster-Care-to-Prison Pipeline
Once Black children are removed from their homes, they are often put on the path toward juvenile detention, then prison. NBC News wrote, “There is a related and lesser-known police-to-foster-care pipeline that is often the starting point for the destruction of families and horrific long-term outcomes for children, particularly black children.”
Throughout the nation, Black parents are reported more often to child protective services than white parents. Black parents are also more likely to have their children removed. In fact, despite making up only 13% of the U.S. population, black children make up 23% of children in foster care.
While transforming this system and protecting African-American children and families, we must also transform the child welfare system.
Lower educational outcomes
In general, foster youth have lower educational outcomes compared to their non-foster youth peers. Foster youth were up to 50% less likely to meet proficiency standards on math and English standardized tests when compared to similar at-risk student groups. Youth from foster care are less likely to graduate from high school or enroll in post-secondary education. Only 3% of foster youth earn a college degree.
When the educational outcomes of foster youth are compared by race, Black and white foster youth have similar educational attainment. However, when foster youth earn a college degree – significant racial disparities persist with employment. In general, Blacks with a college degree are twice as less likely to be employed and experience wage gaps compared to Whites with a college degree.
Creative credit goes to Brian Culbreath who was commissioned by New Mexico Child First Network to art direct and create these gorgeous and impactful images as part of this project. Thank you Brian. This project would not have come to life without your vision and ability to create. You exceeded all of our hopes and ideas with the art, emotion, and authenticity you created in these graphics. Thank you for making our dreams become reality.
