Although we know Black children are overrepresented in foster care, present conversation largely ignores the actual interaction of race and child welfare. The experience of foster care is not one that exists in a vacuum. We must connect it directly to the structural racism that exists in society. Black children face challenges unique to their identity in a racist, hegemonic system. We cannot ignore this.

Dr. Sharon L. Mcdaniel wrote, “There should be no more debate on racism, for we have exceedingly met the burden of proof.” As it relates to the process of removal, racism is ubiquitous. For example, the screening process for removal includes poverty as a risk factor for neglect, and neglect is the primary reason child welfare agencies take children from their family of origin. Unsurprisingly, Black families are nearly 2.5 times more likely to live in poverty compared to white families. Thus, because of the racist practices that force Black families into poverty and the concomitant surveillance, Black children are twice as likely as white children to enter foster care.

Foster care has developed into a mechanism to surveil Black families. In large urban cities, law enforcement, education personnel and healthcare professionals are the primary sources of referrals to child welfare agencies, expectedly, these professionals are disproportionately white. Under the guise of safety, the very practice and policies of these professions and their guiding principles is community surveillance. However, these systems of surveillance, coupled with the racist history of the U. S., directly result from over-policing of Black families and overrepresentation of Black children in foster care.

Kizzy Lopez

Writing since February 2022 · 1 story contributed