I see it in my work every day. The things that can keep a family whole are so basic. … Get someone that housing voucher, or help them find a job or fix their credit score. It’s usually very doable things that can mitigate the harm and preserve families.

Even if the world is challenging and hard, we shouldn’t just be asking young people about their traumas. We should be finding out what helps them thrive and figuring out how we can make those things possible.

I want to help break down the destructive generational structures that children in foster care inherit. But also celebrate memory and ancestry – including my own ancestors, who have been right there with me for 32 hard years.