by Marcus Harrison Green
(This article is co-published with The Seattle Times.)
If this country genuinely cared about protecting the lives of children, Barb Taylor would be out of a job and grandmothers like Ollie Reeves would never anguish over how to feed the children in their care.
But it doesn’t.
Continue reading OPINION: Thousands of WA Grandparents Are Raising Kids — and They Need More Helpby Patheresa Wells
On Saturday, April 16, 2022, Rowhouse International and Nomad Boxing Club combined forces to present the first annual Bumblebee Memorial Boxing Showcase, held at Washington Hall. A packed crowd attended the event to watch as amateur fighters from throughout the PNW came to put their fists together in support of foster kids. Additionally, the event included a partnership with Treehouse to promote its work advocating for youth in foster care as well as to raise money for the organization.
Continue reading Bumblebee Memorial Boxing Showcase Raises Money for Foster KidsThe Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.
We also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.
LIVE — Vivian Phillips of STG’s DOORS | Norman Garrett of the Seattle Opera | Supreme Court Might Overturn Roe v. Wade | $10.6M to Help Those Transitioning Out of Foster Care | Black Business Renaissance
Continue reading The Morning Update Show — 5/3by Hannah Saunders
With National Foster Care Month here, the State Legislature recently awarded $10.6 million in stipends for young Washingtonians exiting the Extended Foster Care (EFC) program. The goal of the stipends is to assist youth with their transition to adulthood by increasing housing stability and securing access to essential resources such as food, transportation, and utilities.
Continue reading $10.6M in Stipends Will Assist Youth Transitioning From Foster Care to Adulthoodby Patheresa Wells
Nomad Boxing Club and Rowhouse International have come together to provide an afternoon of community building and entertainment to honor the late Willie Briscoray, known as Coach Bumblebee. The first annual Bumblebee Memorial Boxing Showcase will take place on Saturday, April 16, 2022, 2–6 p.m. at Washington Hall. The event aims to continue the work of Coach Bumblee, who mentored young fighters during his lifetime by working to promote the work done by Treehouse, an organization whose mission is to create “a world where every child that has experienced foster care has the opportunities and support they need to pursue their dreams and launch successfully into adulthood.”
Continue reading First Annual Bumblebee Memorial Boxing Showcase Benefits Foster Kidsby Jamerika Haynes-Lewis
At the age of 50, Shrounda Selivanoff saw herself doing many things. Recently, she became the director of public policy for Children’s Home Society of Washington (CHSW). This is in addition to her work as a community advocate for children and families. However, raising a newborn was not a part of her plan. “I’m committed to my grandchild. I’m committed for life,” Shrounda says proudly. “I’m his grandmother.”
Continue reading OPINION: HB 1747 Offers a Pathway to Keeping Families TogetherThe Morning Update Show — hosted by Trae Holiday and The Big O (Omari Salisbury) — is the only weekday news and information livestream that delivers culturally relevant content to the Pacific Northwest’s urban audience. Omari and Trae analyze the day’s local and national headlines as well as melanin magic in our community. Watch live every weekday at 11 a.m. on any of the following channels, hosted by Converge Media: YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, Periscope, and whereweconverge.com.
We also post the Morning Update Show here on the Emerald each day after it airs, so you can catch up any time of day while you peruse our latest posts.
LIVE — Karlos Dillard | Uplifting Children in Foster Care | #SeattleProtests Exploited in Vaccination Fight | Spotlight on Black Business | We Buy Black | Vanishing Seattle
Continue reading The Morning Update Show — 9/8/21by Paul Faruq Kiefer
(This article originally appeared on PubliCola and has been reprinted under an agreement.)
In July, a new state law took effect that will guarantee legal representation for children facing dependency hearings, in which a judge considers whether they should remain with their family or go to foster care. For more than a decade, Washington lagged behind much of the rest of the country in expanding children’s access to attorneys during foster care cases, so when the State Legislature passed the law in April, most children’s rights advocates across Washington lauded the change as a step in the right direction.
Access to an attorney can make a significant difference in the outcome of foster care cases. A study conducted between 2017 and 2019 by Washington’s Office of Civil Legal Aid (OCLA), which provides financial support to low-income Washington residents in civil cases, found that children represented by attorneys in dependency cases are much more likely to reunite with their families. The study found that having a lawyer made an especially notable difference for older children and Kids of Color, who are also the least likely to be adopted if left in foster care.
Continue reading State Plans Overhaul of Guidelines for Attorneys Who Represent Kids in Foster Care Casesby Trey Rabun
(This article originally appeared on Amara’s website and has been reprinted under an agreement.)
I’ve had the privilege of working within child welfare for almost 12 years now. My professional journey started in our state agency (now called the Department of Children, Youth and Families — DCYF) supporting children who were “legally free,” meaning children who the state has decided cannot safely return home and are now seeking to find forever families, typically through adoption or guardianship.
As a social work practicum student, I was able to immerse myself in the work of all aspects of child welfare including doing “ride arounds” with Child Protective Services (CPS) investigators and sitting in on intense family decision meetings. Throughout my career, I have always looked for the best ways to support kids and families in foster care, including looking at how best to support Black families caring for kids and youth in our immediate and extended families.
There will always be one family from that time who has stuck with me even after all these years.
Continue reading OPINION: Kinship Care Can Help Transform The Child Welfare Systemby Marcus Harrison Green
(This article is copublished with The Seattle Times.)
Listen to this article below:
Most days, the massive unfairness of the world cannot crush Ollie Reeves.
Most days, the 76-year-old calls on her faith in God and family to help her raise her two grandchildren, Montrey, 14, and Destiny, 10, amid a pandemic.
Most days, the retiree plunges into her savings, accumulated as a Boeing shuttle driver, to pay for food, clothes, and medical bills.
But occasionally, there are days when things get too much and Reeves can do nothing but lock herself in her bedroom and cry.
“My grandkids will say ‘Grandma, why’d you lock the door?’ But they know I need a quiet moment and they just let me be,” she said.
Continue reading OPINION: They’re Raising Grandkids With Little Help, and During a Pandemic. Can’t We Lend Them a Hand?
