The Legacy of Control: The Racist Roots of the Family Policing System

The modern “child welfare” system is not a neutral system of care—it is a continuation of historical practices rooted in slavery, Indigenous child removal, the orphan train movement, and the interconnected policing of race and poverty. This webinar traces the lineage of state-sponsored family regulation in the United States, revealing how state control and racial hierarchy have shaped interventions in family life. Attendees will examine how these enduring legacies persist in present-day laws and policies and learn strategies to confront and dismantle systemic harm through historically informed, justice-centered legal advocacy. 

  Attendees will walk away with: 

• A deeper understanding of how racism and state control shaped the evolution of the family policing system 

• Practical tools to integrate historical analysis into litigation, policy, and advocacy efforts 

• Strategies for advancing community-rooted approaches to family defense 

Presenters:

Angela Olivia Burton, JD – Attorney at Law  

Angela Olivia Burton is a community lawyer, scholar, and public servant with over thirty years of experience advocating for the rights of parents and children in the family policing system. Her commitment to social justice is driven by a deep understanding of the systemic inequities faced by vulnerable families. Angela has consistently fought to protect the human, constitutional, and civil rights of marginalized individuals, ensuring their voices are heard. 

Shemia Dillard, Lived Experience Consultant – CWARE Collaborative 

Shemia Dillard is a dedicated advocate for national policy issues focused on girls and young mothers, leveraging her extensive experience to drive meaningful change. Currently, she serves as a Lived Expert with the CWARE (Child Welfare and Racial Equity) Collaborative, contributing her insights and expertise to support vulnerable populations. Shemia has been advocating for foster youth, young mothers, girls, and young women impacted by the system for over a decade. As a survivor herself, she shares her lived experience to provide recommendations for improving systems and prioritizing those most affected. Shemia has testified and spoken in various Congressional briefings, participated in public engagement events to raise awareness of issues impacting young women and youth, and volunteers locally to address issues affecting her community. 

Hina Naveed, JD – Policy and Legal Analyst for Racial Justice Initiatives, Children’s Rights 

Hina Naveed joined Children’s Rights in 2023. Previously, she was the 2021-2023 Aryeh Neier Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Human Rights Watch (HRW) where she conducted research on, and pursued litigation and advocacy related to, the US child welfare system. Hina also authored an ACLU/HRW report, “If I Wasn’t Poor, I Wouldn’t Be Unfit” The Family Separation Crisis in the US Child Welfare System, in which she documented how the system too often removes children from their parents with scant evidence and limited protections for parents’ due process rights, and disproportionately impacts children from over-policed, underserved communities, especially people of color and people living in poverty.  

Shanta Trivedi, JD – Assistant Professor, University of Baltimore School of Law 

Shanta Trivedi is an Assistant Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore Law School and the Faculty Director for the Sayra and Neil Meyerhoff Center for Families, Children, and the Courts. She teaches courses on family law, children’s and parents’ rights, and child welfare law. Her scholarship focuses on preventing damage caused by family separation. Prior to academia, Professor Trivedi worked for the Brooklyn Defender Services’ Family Defense Practice. 

Moderator: 

Alejandra Gomez – National Foster Youth Delegate at NFYI and Member of the Point Source Youth Advisory Board 

An urban Indigenous human rights advocate based in San Francisco, Alejandra is Anishinaabe-Ojibway and Bear Clan on her mother’s side, with roots in Couchiching First Nation (Treaty 3 Territory), and Chicana ties to the Yucatán. Her lived experience in child welfare fuels her powerful work centering Indigenous youth impacted by foster care, mental health challenges, and homelessness. Alejandra’s advocacy spans policy, education, and global human rights – building a future where every young person feels seen, supported, and empowered.