Transformative change in our lifetimes.
Together in Truth seeks to transform the child welfare/family policing system and the other ancillary systems that uphold it. We seek justice through truth-telling, beginning with convening communities of impacted persons, service providers, organizations and a broader collective to provide testimony and narratives about the impacts of the system on their lives and the lives of others.
There is a growing collective consciousness of the historical racism, oppression, dehumanization, and colonization deeply embedded within our society.
Unfortunately, the institutions that were created and that evolved within this context, like the child welfare system, are inherently corrupted and unable to honor their stated mission- for child welfare, that mission is supporting family well-being and the safety of children. These systems struggle to see people’s humanity and treat them with the dignity and respect they deserve.
Within a child welfare context, we believe that real transformative change in our lifetimes will not be achieved without broadscale truth-telling.
Reconciliation and reparation cannot begin, and justice cannot be achieved until these harms have been acknowledged. Those harms, from all perspectives, cannot be recognized until we tell the truth about them. The purpose of truth-telling is not to shame or blame; instead, it is to transition from private knowing to collective naming to public reckoning, catalyzing meaningful, substantive change powered by children, parents, families, and communities.
The change we seek is not only structural and policy and practice-oriented but healing for all involved with child welfare/family policing.
Truth-telling and the structure for actionable response recognize that these truths and the responsive actions will work to create space for healing and lifelong health. Through collective naming of harms, which can be emotional, revealing, and soul-bearing, we raise awareness and create the opportunity to reckon with the past and create a future that embeds antiracist, anti-oppressive laws, policies, and practices in the child welfare/family policing system.
