We are honored to publish a blog post from a guest contributor. Ashley Schuster Downend is a foster parent and public policy professional. She writes about how foster care is about so much more than struggling parents and kids; rather, foster care is a symptom of larger societal problems. You can follow her on Instagram at @ashleyschusterdownend to learn more about foster care as a social justice issue. The content she publishes is important and we highly recommend having a look.

Image of a family with two adults and four kids.

I am white. My husband is white. We are white foster and adoptive parents and have cared for children of color in our home.

It is well established that child welfare has a racist past and present. Children and families of color are over-represented. Implicit bias is rampant.

Fellow white foster and adoptive parents, we need to start talking about how we show up in such a system. We need to constantly be evaluating: How do I show up in a system that is built upon my own superiority?

If you’d like to hear some background on this, an audio snippet of my family’s story was shared on the Just As Special podcast. There, you can hear how I’ve struggled through conceptualizing this problem and where I've landed.

Here are some ideas to get us started:

Do the internal work: Racism is social and political but it is also internal. We swim in the waters of a racist society and the poison has infected us all. I recommend reading and completing the exercises in “Me and White Supremacy.” Before I read this book, I understood racism. After reading the book, I understood racism in myself. It is only by understanding my own embedded and often unseen racist beliefs that I can start the healing process and anti-racist work within myself.
Examine implicit biases: Once we understand how racism has infected us as white people, we can begin to see our implicit biases - those parts of us that make racial assumptions without us even knowing. We must look for the places where we hold implicit bias towards kids in our care and towards their families. When we notice the biases, we can begin to correct them within ourselves.
Advocate for racial justice: We can address the social and political nature of racism at the same time as doing the internal work. This can be as simple as thinking about how we vote or the policies and procedures of our agencies in a way that takes into account racial justice.
Listen to adult adoptees: Many adult adoptees of color have spoken out about the struggles they faced growing up in white families. Seek those stories out and discover what you might learn about parenting children of color.
Make space for your child: Each child will approach their identity in their own way. Make sure your child knows that it is safe to talk about race with you. This requires moving away from a “color-blind” approach.
Understand the discrimination your child faces: Seek to understand how race is impacting your kids on a daily basis. Give them resources to deal with discrimination and learn to advocate for their needs in schools and other settings.
Build community: Intentionally build social groups that are inclusive and reflective of your children.
Advocate for family preservation: The best way to prevent the harm of foster care, including racial displacement, is to prevent it and to reunify when safe. Struggling families often need resources that are not available to them.
Maintain humility: Ask for help. Know that you don’t know all the answers. Keep learning. Apologize when you make mistakes.

That was a big list. We as foster parents are already overwhelmed and overworked and busy with many kids. How can we possibly add advocating for racial justice to our plates? I don’t want to sugar coat it - fostering is a tough road, fostering with intention even more so.

But it's a road that is worth it. We cannot do everything, but we can do something and we can start small.

And here is why I do this work: my six-year-old Puerto Rican daughter. I want her to know and love who she is in her entirety. I want to know and love her in her entirety. And, I want her to live in a world that knows and loves her in her entirety. That is why I do this work.

How can you advocate for racial justice as a member of the foster care community?

Thank you very much to Ashley for sharing her writing with us! We are always looking for written and audio guest posts. Want to contribute? Check out our story call-out or email emmy@justasspecial.com. We’re always open to hearing your ideas!

Starting to think about how to become a foster parent can be overwhelming. But you’re not alone! Helpful resources are available, such as our foster care resource database for the state of Colorado that was created in partnership with Cobbled Streets.

These resources address the challenges and triumphs foster families face every day while honoring diversity. Know a resource that should be included? Let us know!

Want to help out but becoming a foster parent isn’t the right decision for you right now? Consider donating or becoming a virtual volunteer with Just As Special! We’re always looking for aid from people who want to help support kids in care and foster families.