Halimah Washington, Community Coordinator, PAR Project Lead
I am a Black Mama from New York City who is directly impacted by the family regulation system with involvement going back multiple generations. My experience with the family policing system speaks to how it stays in people’s lives for multiple generations, never helping, but continuing to cause harm and trauma throughout the generations. I am passionate about this work because Black and brown families deserve to thrive and … Read More
The Rise Participatory Action Research (PAR) project, completed in partnership with TakeRoot Justice, was led by our PAR Team of six mothers directly impacted by the family policing system in NYC: Halimah Washington, Naashia B., Shamara Kelly, Melissa Landrau, Yvonne Smith and Imani Worthy. PAR is a model in which people directly impacted by an issue are centered in the design, implementation and interpretation of the research.
Here, the Rise PAR Team reflects on their process together.
On September 29, Rise will publish our research report, An Unavoidable System: The Harms of Family Policing and Parents’ Vision for Investing in Community Care. We invite you to join us via Zoom for our report release event, which will provide an introduction to the Rise PAR Team and research process, as well as a glimpse into our research findings, recommendations and calls to action.
In a recent Rise support circle, parents directly impacted by ACS discussed the necessity of the Child Tax Credit and stimulus payments for their families. Parents were able to use these payments to cover essentials like food, since food stamps don’t go far enough. They were also able to use the money to pay or catch up on rent. One parent shared that she was able to buy furniture and another was able to pay their child’s phone bill. Rise supports making the Child Tax Credit permanent and other efforts to provide direct cash assistance and increased benefits to families.
It is no surprise to me that American Idol star Syesha Mercado had her children taken from her under these horrific circumstances, because I went through something similar. Mercado was seeking help and care for her child –– and instead, her one-year-old son and newborn were both taken away. Tragically, this is common within the world of family policing, commonly known as “child welfare”. Many Black parents, myself included, have sought support from hospitals, only to be met with new traumas and more health issues.
