Uploaded November 2022 | Updated September 2026, 1 day ago
Find more Left of Black here: https://fhi.duke.edu/programs/left-black
When we think of foster care in the U.S., we hope to see it as a system that is in place to protect the safety of at-risk children who are in abusive homes, providing a way out. However, according to the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology at UPENN, Dr. Dorothy E. Roberts, this is sadly, disturbingly not the case when it comes to Black households. Statistics show that 1 in 10 Black children will be removed from their homes at least once before they reach 18 years of age. Is this the families' fault or is this indicative of a larger imprint of white supremacy inherent in our social services? In this episode of Left of Black, Dr. Roberts discusses her new book, "Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families--and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World," published by Basic Books.
You can find out more about Dr. Roberts here: dorothyeroberts.com
Find her book here: basicbooks.com/titles/dorothy-roberts/torn-apart/9781541675445
Left of Black is a web series featuring interviews with Black Studies scholars produced by the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University.
Directed and edited by Eric Barstow.
@dukeuniversity @FranklinHumanities @dukeuniversitysdepartmento2485 @FranklinCenterAtDuke #blackstudies #blackscholars
Find more Left of Black here: https://fhi.duke.edu/programs/left-black
When we think of foster care in the U.S., we hope to see it as a system that is in place to protect the safety of at-risk children who are in abusive homes, providing a way out. However, according to the George A. Weiss University Professor of Law and Sociology at UPENN, Dr. Dorothy E. Roberts, this is sadly, disturbingly not the case when it comes to Black households. Statistics show that 1 in 10 Black children will be removed from their homes at least once before they reach 18 years of age. Is this the families' fault or is this indicative of a larger imprint of white supremacy inherent in our social services? In this episode of Left of Black, Dr. Roberts discusses her new book, "Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families--and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World," published by Basic Books.
You can find out more about Dr. Roberts here: dorothyeroberts.com
Find her book here: basicbooks.com/titles/dorothy-roberts/torn-apart/9781541675445
Left of Black is a web series featuring interviews with Black Studies scholars produced by the John Hope Franklin Humanities Institute at Duke University.
Directed and edited by Eric Barstow.
@dukeuniversity @FranklinHumanities @dukeuniversitysdepartmento2485 @FranklinCenterAtDuke #blackstudies #blackscholars
