March 4, 2024
Two prominent civil rights groups are calling on the federal government to investigate Minnesota’s child welfare system, describing its discrimination against Black children and families as “egregious and shocking.”
The complaint submitted today by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the New York-based advocacy group Children’s Rights seeks recourse through the Office of Civil Rights within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The activists highlight the number of children removed from their parents following investigations into abuse and neglect allegations, and point to particularly deep disparities in the Minneapolis and St. Paul regions. State and local officials are accused of “knowing, ongoing failure” to address these issues.