I was born in Nashua, New Hampshire. When I was three months old, my mother died. My sister and I went to live with our father in Hartford, Connecticut. We spent the next ten years there. Hartford is a difficult place for a child to grow up. It’s a rough city with failing infrastructure, high […]
In just three months, Children’s Rights made amazing progress for kids—including securing key reforms to give children a better chance at a stable home, improving access to health and mental health services, and ending the cruel use of restraints and solitary confinement in a boy’s group home in Iowa.
Christen Douglas, a member of the Children’s Rights National Advisory Council, is a partner at the law firm McDermott Will & Emery, where her practice is focused on trust and estates. She also advises clients on philanthropic planning and private charitable foundations. Christen has joined the CR Legacy Society by designating CR as a beneficiary […]
When I see the never-ending news reports about the inhumane conditions children in migrant detention centers are being forced to live in, I am reminded of my own experiences growing up in foster care facilities. This article got it exactly right. What’s happening to children at the border is a travesty. But it’s also happening […]
Originally posted on The Hill, on March 25, 2021 In one of his first acts as president, Joe Biden signed an executive order directing the Justice Department to not renew its contracts with private prisons. The president’s decision was hailed by civil liberties organizations, who saw it as a blow against a notoriously abusive system that often dehumanizes the incarcerated. […]
I remember knowing that something was very wrong. I was 9 and my sister probably 11. We were waiting outside of school in Brownsville, Texas for my mom to pick us up. This was a rare treat instead of taking the bus. The bus came and went and we kept waiting. When the police came […]
Sometimes things just click. Call it Kismet, call it karma, call it dumb luck. For me it happened in 2017, when I first met Children’s Rights. At the time, I had been working in Health Policy at Missouri Foundation for Health for 15 years. Our mission is to eliminate the underlying causes of health inequities, transform systems, […]
Food and helping young people are my twin passions. I am the chef and owner of Milk & Butter Catering, LLC in Houston, Texas. Yeah, Houston. Living through the aftermath of the 2021 winter storm has been a heck of a roller coaster! I went 6 days without power and water in freezing temperatures. And the end […]
On January 6th, violent insurrectionists attacked and desecrated the U.S. Capitol causing untold damage, countless injuries, and at least five deaths. During the attack, the insurrectionists defaced a commemorative display honoring the late Congressman John Lewis. John Lewis was a champion of democracy and civil rights. We cannot let this act of vandalism go unanswered. […]
Last year, young leaders and child welfare advocates made their voices heard leading to $400 million in critical emergency federal aid for foster youth. Under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, current and former foster youth—ages 14 to 26—are eligible for funding for cash assistance, housing, college, and other necessities. The Act also prohibits states from requiring […]
