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Articles by Alexis Obinna
Youth Sound Off: Best Reads of 2020
A roundup of The Imprint’s most impactful stories in 2020 The year 2020 is almost over and what a year it has been! Several issues and events sparked major outrage and discussions about how those issues affect those who have experienced foster care, homelessness and juvenile incarceration around the world. As the year comes to end, we’re sharing our favorite pieces that reflect our youth voice writers’ experiences.
Advocates for Special Needs Kids Seek Court Order on In-Person Teaching
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner. Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Unified School District After months of urging one of the nation’s largest school districts to safely provide quality in-person learning to the thousands of special needs students who get little from online instruction, children’s rights groups on Friday went right to the California Supreme Court and filed a lawsuit to make it happen pronto.
Los Angeles Advocates for Special Needs Kids Seek Court Order
Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Austin Beutner. Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Unified School District After months of urging one of the nation’s largest school districts to safely provide quality in-person learning to the thousands of special needs students who get little from online instruction, children’s rights groups on Friday went right to the California Supreme Court and filed a lawsuit to make it happen pronto.
Defunding Police is Pandemic Recovery
There are two stages of response when facing widespread disasters like earthquakes, wildfires or pandemics: relief and recovery. Media outlets capture the drama of “relief” – images of brave firefighters battling flames in the smoldering ruins of a town, or the National Guard delivering supplies to afflicted citizens.
Foster Youth Nationwide Gain Priority for Free Online Tutoring
In Los Angeles County, a 15-year-old girl in foster care joins an online tutoring session. Photo courtesy of iFoster. As students across the country struggle to keep up with their schoolwork while sheltering from the coronavirus, tens of thousands of foster youth will now have access to one-on-one support from a free tutoring program being rolled out nationwide.
Conversion Therapy Inches Controversy Closer to U.S. Supreme Court
A federal appellate court last week struck down local bans in Florida on psychotherapy aimed at changing the sexual identity or orientation of minors. The ruling increases the odds of the “conversion therapy” issue ending up in the U.S. Supreme Court because other federal judicial circuits in California and elsewhere have ruled the opposite way on the issue. In those decisions, judges said they were convinced by the results of multiple psychological studies finding the therapy harmful to kids.
Federal Roundtables Find Foster Youth Feeling Supported, But Uncertain
Over the fall months, leadership at the Children’s Bureau held 12 roundtable discussions with current and former foster youth around the country, aiming to hear directly from the source about how the coronavirus pandemic was impacting their lives. Last week, the bureau’s associate commissioner, Jerry Milner, sent a letter to state child welfare directors that quickly summarized the broader themes of what he and his team heard at the roundtables, both good and bad.
Foster Care System: Flourishing First, Floundering Later
More than anything, I want to create a world where youth in foster care don’t have to fear being alone and not having a place to live. That is why I’m attending Cal State Los Angeles, studying to become a social worker. In fact, just before the pandemic hit, I had received my offer letter to do my fieldwork placement to complete my bachelor’s degree in social work. I was so very excited about this opportunity because my dreams of giving back to the foster care system are so close to being realized.
Child Welfare Must Face History In Order To Get Past It
I have been thinking a lot lately about James Baldwin’s wise assertion that “People are trapped in history and history is trapped in them.” History is deeply embedded in the child welfare system. Courts and stakeholders often rely on a family’s history to determine the current level of threat to children. They look at “historical documents:” court orders, prior child protection system (CPS) reports and prior evaluations.
New York City Moves to Limit Drug Testing of Pregnant Women
New York City moved this week to curb hospital drug testing of new and expecting mothers, a widespread and controversial practice that can lead to newborns being placed in foster care at perhaps the most delicate stage of life. Studies suggest that Black women are more likely than white women to be drug tested before or immediately following childbirth, despite similar rates of drug use, and they are more likely to be deemed unfit parents, losing custody of their babies.
Bill Would Establish Parental Diversion Program in Federal Courts
Rep. Pramila Jayapaul (D-Washington) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) introduced federal legislation that would allow federal judges to sentence parents and caregivers to probation with a range of services instead of prison time.
Ohio Still Shortchanging Relative Caregivers Complaint Charges
Three years after a federal appeals court ordered Ohio to pay those who assume custody of relatives the same amount it pays licensed foster parents, the Buckeye State continues to severely shortchange kinship caregivers, according to a lawsuit seeking to enforce the order. As the original lawsuit, D.O. v. Glisson, said: “It’s not optional.” State officials, including Gov.
Alexis Obinna on Pandemic Life
A former foster youth refuses to give up as her circumstances worsen amid the pandemic More than anything, I want to create a world where youth in foster care don’t have to fear being alone and not having a place to live. That is why I’m attending Cal State Los Angeles, studying to become a social worker. In fact, just before the pandemic hit, I had received my offer letter to do my fieldwork placement to complete my bachelor’s degree in social work.
Protesting Matters
Current and former foster youth weigh in on racism and police brutality. I have always dealt with racial inequality and police harassment. When I was 15 I used to have blue hair, and my foster sister had red hair. One day the police rolled up on us and told us – didn’t even say hi, just told us – what gangs we were from.
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