Activism

Welcoming Homes Needed in Marin for Youth in Foster Care

Just in time for Foster Care Awareness Month, the Marin Foster Care Association, and Children & Family Services is launching Lunch and Learns, new monthly one-hour, in-person gatherings that will include lunch with foster parents who will share about their experiences and answer questions. The gatherings set up to serve as a casual way to learn more about the foster care system in Marin and how others can help support youth in the community.

Published

2 years ago

June 9, 2022

Oakland Post

Resource parent Linda and her son are considered one of Marin’s fostering successes.

Many are placed outside of the county due to a lack of resource families

Courtesy of Marin County

Parenting always has its ups and downs, but it has been particularly challenging over the past two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Marin County Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would like to recognize and thank those who stood by the children in foster care and started the process of becoming a resource parent during particularly stressful times. It is also promoting a new way for potential foster parents to learn about resource families.

On May 10, the Marin County Board of Supervisors adopted a resolution proclaiming May Foster Care Awareness Month, prompting Bree Marchman, Division Director of Marin HHS Children & Family Services, to express her gratitude.

“Children & Family Services would not be able to serve our community without the support of our local resource parents and siblings, and we are deeply indebted to their commitments to the welfare of foster children,” she said.

The resolution recognized those who authentically engage with youth to build lasting relationships. Resource families are often the place where a child can begin their healing journey. Studies show that it takes just one committed adult to make a world of difference in a child’s life. Resource families do more than support the children, they often support the parents on their healing journey as well, helping to reunify families and often becoming integral members of the child’s extended family. When reunification can’t happen, those families sometimes find themselves providing a forever family to a special child.

Online registration is open.

The need for more families, especially for teens, has been a constant even prior to COVID-19. Marin averages 85 youth in foster care and nearly 40% of them, mostly teens, are placed in homes outside of Marin. Anyone who has ever considered fostering is welcome to learn more at an information meeting. Online meetings are held monthly, hosted by a social worker and a resource parent who discuss the application process, training, and support available, as well as answer questions. For more information and to register for an orientation meeting, visit www.FosterOurFuture.org or call Leslie Fields at (415) 473-6418.

Children enter the child welfare system through no fault of their own and deserve to live in safe and supportive homes. Every effort is made to keep children in their community, to keep siblings together, and to create good matches between kids and families. To do that, Marin needs a larger, more diverse pool of homes for foster children. Resource families can provide temporary care to children while biological families work toward reunification, or they can choose to be an adoptive family; both are needed.

While not everyone is able to foster a child, any adult can volunteer with the Friends of the Family Program to provide support to resource families. Interested applicants will work with Children and Family Services and the Marin County Volunteers Program to become approved as a Friend of the Family. The assessment process varies depending on the level of involvement a prospective participant will have and may include a background check and an interview with a social worker.

For more information and the application, visit FosterOurFutureMarin.org.

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Activism

Calif. Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocates Discuss Competing Bills, Strategies

Advocates from across California are challenging state officials and community leaders to support legislation that provides resources and services for survivors and victims of human trafficking, as well as assistance as they transition back into civil society.  Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

Published

20 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

Shutterstock

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

According to the FBI, a report covering a two-year period found Black children accounted for 57% of all juvenile arrests for prostitution. In addition, 40% of sex trafficking victims were Black and 60% of those victims had been enrolled in the foster care system.

“It is time to hold the perpetrators who take advantage of our children accountable,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, a San Diego-based activist, former foster youth and founder of the Peoples Association of Justice Advocates, (PAJA), a national civil rights organization and policy think tank.

“It is time to send a thorough message that if you seek to buy a child for sex, you will pay the highest criminal penalties in this state,” added Harris who was speaking at a rally at the State Capitol earlier this month. Harris was speaking in support of Senate Bill 1414, authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (D-Bakersfield), which calls for people who buy sex from minors to be punished with a felony. The punishment includes a two-year prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.

Harris said the PAJA is the only civil rights organization in the state that supports SB 1414.

Harris urged other Black-led groups who favor anti-trafficking legislation more focused on criminal justice reforms (as opposed to stiffer penalties), to “join the movement.”

Many of those civil rights groups fear that SB 1414 could lead to the incarceration of more Black youth.

Those sentiments were echoed in a panel discussion organized by Black women advocates on April 26 to examine the cause and effects of human trafficking in California’s Black communities. The virtual event was hosted by the Forgotten Children, Inc, a faith-based nonprofit that advocates for survivors and victims of human trafficking through anti-trafficking campaigns and initiatives.

Panelists shared the psychological impact of sexual exploitation on youth and children in the long term.

Author and educator Dr. Stephany Powell shared statistics and information revealing that African American women and girls are the most trafficked nationwide.

Powell, who serves as the senior advisor on law enforcement and policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said that national data indicates that sex trade survivors are disproportionately women of color. She stated that male survivors often go unnoticed because boys rarely report trafficked crimes.

Powell said that decriminalizing prostitution in California could increase human trafficking. She argued that Senate Bill 357, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which was signed into law in 2022 and legalized loitering for prostitution, caused a surge in street-level prostitution.

Panelist and psychologist Dr. Gloria Morrow shared opposing views on decriminalizing prostitution. She said that decriminalizing prostitution could help survivors gain access to state resources and support.

Despite opposing views, Powell and Morrow agree that the Black community needs resources and educational programs to address human trafficking.

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Activism

Obituary: Social Justice Leader, the Rev. Cecil Williams, Passes at 94

On April 22, community leader and social justice advocate Reverend Cecil Williams died at his home in San Francisco surrounded by his loved ones, according to his family. He was 94 years old.

Published

21 hours ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

The Rev. Cecil Williams, civil rights activist and social justice leader was the head pastor of San Francisco’s non-denominational GLIDE Memorial United Methodist Church.

By California Black Media

On April 22, community leader and social justice advocate Reverend Cecil Williams died at his home in San Francisco surrounded by his loved ones, according to his family.

He was 94 years old.

The reverend was a civil rights leader who advocated for the equal rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in the Bay Area.

Williams was the head pastor of the non-denominational GLIDE Memorial United Methodist Church. The church welcomed individuals from the queer community and people struggling with homelessness, housing instability and substance use disorder (SUD).

Through his work, Rev. Williams attracted national attention. Prominent political and cultural leaders such as Maya Angelou, Bono, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Clinton all attended church services at Glide.

Congressmember Barbara Lee (D-CA-12) said she is deeply saddened about the passing of her dear friend.

“The Reverend changed the lives of millions through radical love, support, inclusivity, and a commitment to service to the most marginalized,” Lee said.

Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the reverend inspired people across California to embody the values of generosity and acceptance.

Rev. Williams was, “a visionary leader whose legendary compassion and love for his community transformed the lives of people from all walks of life,” Newsom said.

Rev. Williams served as the chief executive officer of the Glide Foundation until his retirement in 2023.