A Note To Tyler...

I just read and responded to Tyler Perry's latest blog... He wrote of taking orphaned children on a Christmas shopping spree at Target. Just like Tyler to reach back and to give from the heart... Gotta' love him for that!!!


Here is essentially what I wrote:

I began that I am an Attorney, former social worker and a part time professor at a local university teaching a course on Child Welfare Policy. The focus of the course is how our current system mostly fails our communities, but more importantly how it fails our children. Far too many of them end up in long term foster care, abusive situations, detention centers or just languish in the system un-adopted until they are abandoned into adult hood.

What the public fails to understand or is more likely unaware, is the disproportionate number of Black children who are grossly over represented in this bureaucratic nightmare. (Sugessted Readings: "Shattered Bonds", Dorothy Roberts (2002), “Children of the Storm, Black Children and American Child Welfare”, Andrew Billingsley & Jeanne Giovannoni (1972) ~ 30 year gap, same concern). Black children are estimated to be only 15% of the child population in the US but anywhere from 35 to 40% of children in foster care in America. States like IL, NJ, PA & NY are the biggest abusers; Black children are over represented 64%, 51%, 47%, 48% respectively. Since the population for Black children in these states no where matches their representation in foster care, one might conclude that simply by virtue of being a Black Mother, one is inherently a bad Mother. Black women who historically raised everybody else's children are now somehow overwhelmingly bad mothers??? Really? I'm Just Sayin'...

Less than 4% of all children in foster care in NYC are White. How can that be? The city has repeatedly been cited for obvious disparate treatment but continues to conduct business as usual. Our children continue to suffer. Did I fail to mention that states get Title IV federal funding for children who are court ordered into placements outside of the home but not for children who instead remain in their home and receive rehabilitative or supportive services from the state? Incentive to remove? Incentive to terminate parental rights? Incentive to create obstacles preventing family reunification? Incentive to remain gainfully employed? Gainfully funded? I’m Just Askin’…

While there are good social workers and certainly worthwhile merits to the child welfare system and undoubtedly children who absolutely do not belong in the care of their natural parents, children becoming "legal orphans" or permanent, parentless wards of the state is even far more unacceptable.

Once children reach a certain age, the likelihood of adoption diminishes significantly. While orphanages are thought to be a thing of the past, I am convinced that we need to somewhat reinvent the wheel. I foresee orphanages on a smaller scale with a group home, family like setting. This type atmosphere is by far in much better interest of the welfare of these children who often age out of the system with no life line... Too many of these children go from foster care to prison care. We have got to break the cycle...

Sadly, the Black community has not stepped up to the plate to adopt. I believe however that we will get involved in other ways if (1) presented with the facts regarding the true state of and the far reaching casualties of the system and (2) if presented with a viable challenge and options alternative to adoption.

Not sure what it looks like but I know you share my compassion for these children. What you did to brighten their Christmas is immeasurable. I have some ideas and want very much to brainstorm with likeminded folks such as yourself on what we can do to make life better for ALL children stuck in this storm of despair... Black, White or other, THEY are OUR children... We have got to raise the level of consciousness so that folks will understand, so that folks will care.... This is my year for asking the impossible. This is important to me as I know it is to you, so I am asking… Tyler, will you help me to inspire, inform and engage others? Pretty Pleeeze… (smile)

Merry Christmas,
~ Miss Higgi ~



OK, so I write too much, bur you all knew that (smile) ~ Merry Christmas My Friends. I challenge you all, even those with children of your own, to take at least ONE child under your wings in 2011. We CAN make a difference!!!