NAPD 2023 Rise, Resist, Represent Conference

Charleena Lyles was a pregnant mother of four children facing intersecting barriers of involvement with child welfare, criminal justice, domestic violence victimization, and poverty when, in June 2017, she was murdered by law enforcement in her own home in the presence of her children.  Her story serves as a vivid reminder that many parents, particularly Black and brown parents, are constantly walking a tightrope and are navigating interconnected systems and requirements in order to reunify their families.  This facilitated workshop/discussion group will introduce you to Charleena's story, and through learning about Charleena, we will discuss how clients in the child welfare system, particularly our BIPOC clients, face intersecting barriers of family policing, race-based discrimination, criminal justice involvement, domestic violence victimization, and poverty and benefit-related requirements.  We will discuss the real, practical ways clients in our child welfare cases wish to receive our advocacy, and how we can lift up our parent clients' voices in advocating for them.  We will also talk about concrete solutions that attorneys, social workers, parent allies, and other advocates can do now and can work towards in order to help families reunite faster and easier.