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From reproductive health and bioethics to the child welfare system and youth justice, Professor Dorothy Roberts has been a transformative leader on the issues impacting the lives of Black and Brown youth and, notably, Black women.

Imagine being born into a country where the way you are treated is based on the color of your skin.

“It’s unfortunate that the first response is to just lock people up and throw them away, when, you know, if you really just take the time to invest in people — people aren’t disposable. We’re all capable of redemption. We’re all capable of being helped and being our better selves. Everyone deserves a second chance.” For Cyntoia Brown Long, this wasn’t just a fight for her freedom, but a fight for everyone's. 

Cyntoia Long Brown and Governor Bill Haslam sat down with Vanderbilt University Law Professor Christopher Slobogan to talk criminal justice reform. Hear from the 2022 Leadership Prize Winner as she tells her story and discusses the ways in which the justice system can fail young people. Go to 10:09 to hear from Cyntoia Long Brown.

Awardees Include Cyntoia Brown Long, Dorothy Roberts, and Tom Grisso.

Structural racism has been at the foundation of federal funding for foster care for decades. The initiation of federal funding for foster care in 1961 can be traced directly to practices intended to target Black mothers and children in Louisiana in 1960. Understanding the foundation of child welfare funding and its structural inequities at the base of our foster care system is critical to understanding the disparities so prevalent today.

Harrisburg, PA – Yesterday, Governor Tom Wolf (D) signed Senate Bill 324 into law as Act 1 of 2022. This bill, sponsored by Senators Langerholc (R) and Browne (R), requires all school districts to provide additional supports for students who experience educational disruption due to homelessness or involvement in the foster care or juvenile justice systems. In divided political times, it is noteworthy that this bill passed both chambers unanimously.

With Bipartisan Support in Florida’s Legislature, Momentum Accelerates for Passage of Debt-Free Justice for Children Act.

Each year the state of Florida arrests tens of thousands of youth under the age of 18. It transfers some of these youth to criminal court for serious offenses,  but processes the majority in the juvenile system.