The Trauma of Being Black in Foster Care | Kizzy Lopez | TEDxFresnoState
TLDRThe speaker, a biracial black and Filipina woman, shares her identity as a black woman shaped by societal treatment and foster care experiences. She discusses the disproportionate representation of African-American children in the foster care system and the compounded racial trauma they face. The script highlights the long-term health effects of childhood trauma, the lower adoption rates for black children, and the systemic racism impacting their mental health and life outcomes. The speaker calls for acknowledgment of racism, education, challenging unconscious bias, and active participation in dismantling structural racism to improve the lives of African American foster youth.
Takeaways
- 🌟 The speaker identifies as biracial, black and Filipina, but primarily as a black woman due to societal treatment.
- 🏡 The experience of being in foster care as a black child has significantly shaped the speaker's identity.
- 📊 In 2016, African-American children were overrepresented in the foster care system, making up 23% of the population, despite being only 14% of the U.S. population.
- 💔 The speaker's personal narrative includes experiences of abuse, homelessness, and the trauma of being in foster care.
- 🤕 A study on adverse childhood experiences shows a correlation between childhood trauma and long-term health issues, including heart disease and mental health disorders.
- 👶 The racial disparities in adoption rates were highlighted, with African-American children being three times less likely to be adopted than white children.
- 🌱 The speaker discusses the impact of racism and trauma on personal decisions and mental health, including her own struggles in graduate school.
- 📚 Research indicates that chronic racism can lead to negative health impacts such as high blood pressure, depression, and anxiety.
- 🔍 The speaker calls for acknowledgment of racism, education about injustices, challenging unconscious bias, and active participation in dismantling structural racism.
- 📈 The disparities in life outcomes for African Americans, especially those who are foster youth, are emphasized, with worse outcomes compared to their white counterparts.
- 🌱 The importance of community involvement in supporting foster youth and the need for societal change to improve their lives is stressed.
Q & A
How does the speaker identify socially and why?
-The speaker identifies socially as a Black woman primarily because of the way she is treated in society, even though she is biracial, Black, and Filipina.
What private aspect of the speaker's identity significantly shapes who she is?
-The speaker's experience in foster care significantly shapes who she is, although it is a private aspect of her identity that people don't know unless she shares it.
What statistic illustrates the over-representation of Black children in the foster care system nationally?
-In 2016, 23% of the 436,000 children in the foster care system were African American, even though African Americans make up only 14% of the US population.
What personal experiences of abuse and trauma does the speaker recount from her childhood?
-The speaker recounts being cursed at, called awful names, spit on, having her hair pulled, beaten with objects like a lead pipe by her peers, and experiencing domestic violence from her alcoholic and addict father.
What are some long-term health effects of childhood trauma according to the Adverse Childhood Experiences study?
-Adults who experienced multiple childhood traumas were found to be more likely to have heart disease, mental health disorders, and a higher risk of attempting suicide.
How do statistics reflect the likelihood of Black children being adopted compared to white children in foster care?
-In 2006, African American children were three times less likely to be adopted than white children, with only 17% of adopted children being African American compared to 49% being white.
How does chronic racism impact the mental and physical health of African Americans according to studies mentioned?
-Chronic racism leads to negative health impacts such as higher blood pressure, lack of sleep, mental health issues like depression and anxiety, heart disease, and even early mortality.
What challenges do Black foster youth face compared to their white counterparts in terms of employment?
-Black foster youth are almost 40% less likely to have a job compared to their white foster youth counterparts, highlighting significant disparities in employment outcomes.
What did the speaker experience during her graduate program related to racism?
-The speaker experienced chronic interpersonal and institutional racism, which took a toll on her health, leading to anxiety, depression, and the need to take a semester off to seek therapy.
What actions does the speaker suggest to help dismantle racism and improve society for African American foster youth?
-The speaker suggests acknowledging that racism exists, getting educated about injustices, educating others, challenging unconscious bias, and being engaged in policies and practices that dismantle structural racism.
Outlines
🌟 Identity and Challenges of Black Foster Youth
The speaker identifies as biracial, black and Filipina, but primarily considers herself a black woman due to societal treatment. She highlights the disproportionate representation of African-American children in the foster care system, with statistics showing they are 1.5 times more represented nationally and nearly 4 times in California, compared to their population percentage. The paragraph discusses her personal experiences with abuse, homelessness, and foster care, and how these adversities have been compounded by racial trauma. It also touches on the long-term health effects of childhood trauma as studied in 'Adverse Childhood Experiences' and the impact of racism and trauma on decision-making, particularly in the context of foster care and adoption rates.
🌧 The Impact of Racism on Mental Health and Opportunities
This paragraph delves into the daily encounters with discrimination and racism that African Americans face, including the effects of unconscious bias and systemic racism. The speaker shares her personal struggles with racism during her graduate program, which led to anxiety, depression, and the need for therapy. She cites studies that link chronic racism with negative health impacts such as high blood pressure, sleep disorders, and increased risk of mental health issues. The paragraph also discusses the undervaluation and discrimination faced by African Americans from a young age, and how this affects their life outcomes in various aspects such as employment, education, health, and incarceration rates. It emphasizes the additional disadvantages faced by black foster youth, including lower adoption rates and employment opportunities compared to their white counterparts.
🔨 Dismantling Racism: A Call to Action
The final paragraph is a call to action, urging the audience to acknowledge the existence of racism and to educate themselves and others about the injustices faced by communities of color, particularly African Americans. The speaker provides suggestions for combating racism, including challenging unconscious biases and engaging in policies and practices that dismantle structural racism. She emphasizes the importance of collective action in improving society and the lives of African American foster youth, drawing on a quote by Zora Neale Hurston to stress the importance of speaking out against pain and injustice. The paragraph concludes with an African proverb about raising a child taking a village, implying that everyone has a role to play in creating a more equitable society.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Biracial
💡Foster Care
💡Racial Trauma
💡Over-Representation
💡Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
💡Reunification
💡Racism
💡Unconscious Bias
💡Structural Racism
💡Mental Health
💡Dismantling Racism
Highlights
The speaker identifies as biracial, black and Filipina, but primarily as a black woman due to societal treatment.
The speaker's experience in foster care has significantly shaped her identity.
In 2016, African-American children were over-represented in the foster care system, especially in California.
Audre Lorde's quote is used to emphasize the interconnectedness of struggles in life.
The speaker recounts traumatic childhood experiences, including abuse and homelessness.
Placement in foster care at age 11 due to domestic violence and parental addiction.
Study on adverse childhood experiences linking trauma to long-term health issues.
The impact of racism and trauma on decision-making, especially in vulnerable situations.
African-American children are less likely to be adopted compared to white children.
Daily experiences of racism and discrimination contribute to mental health issues.
The speaker's personal struggle with racism during her graduate program.
Studies showing the negative health impacts of chronic racism on African Americans.
The speaker discusses the undervaluation and discrimination faced by African Americans from a young age.
Patrick McCarthy's quote highlighting the disparities faced by children of color in foster care.
The speaker calls for acknowledgment of racism and education about its impact on communities of color.
A call to action for individuals to educate themselves, challenge biases, and engage in dismantling structural racism.
Zora Neale Hurston's quote is used to emphasize the importance of speaking out against injustice.
The African proverb about raising a child is invoked to highlight collective responsibility in society.
Transcripts
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