Justice and Equity for the Children Including Children of Color

Monday, April 14. 12:00pm-1:30pm. Fidalgo Room.

Description 

Children of color are over-represented and under-served in child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and other child and family serving systems. In this workshop, participants will gain an understanding of the impacts of institutional racism on vulnerable children. Data will demonstrate that children of color, particularly African-American and American Indian children, achieve significantly poorer outcomes than do white children in virtually every system. The workshop will also highlight local and regional initiatives that are taking action on this issue, and have made significant strides in mitigating disproportionality and the impacts of institutional racism on our children.

Presenter Bios

Ron Murphy: Moderator, Casey Family Programs Washington State

Ron Murphy has provided social work services to children, families and communities for over 35 years. He is currently the Senior Director - Strategic Consulting for Washington State Casey Family Programs. He provides leadership of statewide systems improvement strategies for Casey's partnership with the State of Washington and also works with other Casey partners, such as the courts, legislature and nonprofits, to support system-wide improvements through policy and practice changes. Ron ensures that the Casey's 2020 mission is embedded in the efforts with partners. Ron has been a member of Casey Family Programs since 1995 and has provided leadership in various roles. Prior to Casey Family Programs Ron worked for the State of Washington as a Community Services Officer Administrator, Regional Administrator for the State's Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse and was a direct practitioner for the Children's Administration. Ron has also worked in other private and nonprofit organizations. Ron's analytical thinking, problem-solving, listening, humor and ability to maintain self-control under pressure are attributes he is recognized for. Ron graduated from the Univerity of Washington with a Masters in Social Work and has a BA from Pacific Lutheran University, and is a member of several professional organizations.

Judge Patricia Clark 

In 1987 Judge Patricia Clark obtained a juris doctorate and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Washington. During law school, Judge Clark was inducted into the Order of the Barrister in recognition of her outstanding abilities as an oral advocate.  After a stint in private practice, she joined the King County Prosecutor's Office as a deputy prosecutor in the Criminal Division. It was at the Prosecutor's Office that she developed her expertise in the Struck Jury Selection Method. She teaches this method to attorneys across the state. After becoming a senior deputy, she left the Prosecutor's Office to accept a teaching position at Seattle University Law Clinic where she remained for two years. She assisted the Law Clinic in developing and implementing several leading edge component mini-clinics.  She was appointed to the King County Superior Court bench as a Constitutional Commissioner in February of 1996. As a Commissioner, her primary focus was on cases involving At Risk Youth (ARY) and Children In Need of Service (CHINS). In 1998, Judge Clark was appointed to serve as a King County Superior Court Judge where she presided over both criminal and civil cases. She also served as the Chief Judge of Juvenile Court for King County Superior Court. Judge Clark previously served on the statewide Gender and Justice Commission and the Minority and Justice Commission. She is a member of the Superior Court Judge's Association and chaired the Superior Court Judge's Association Family Juvenile Law Committee. Judge Clark chairs the Disproportionality Committees (adult and juvenile) for the King County Regional Law Safety and Justice Committee, and the Racial Disparity in Dependency Committee. She serves on the Superior Court Judge's Association's Education Committee and the Family and Juvenile Law Committee. Judge Clark has been foremost in the implementation of Reclaiming Futures Treatment Court, Dependency Drug Court, Dependency Disproportionality Task Force and Systems Integration.

Malcolm Hightower, Casey Family Programs

Malcolm Hightower has worked with issues of disproportionality and disparate outcomes for children and families of color for the past 13 years within the Washington State public child welfare system and Casey Family Programs, where he is currently employed. Prior to coming to Casey Family Programs, Malcolm worked for the State of Washington in Children's Administration as a CPS Social Worker. At the State, he worked in the Native American Unit and also helped organize and implement the first African American Children's Section. The focus of this section was to address the over-representation of African American children in Seattle's child welfare system and help improve their outcomes. At Casey Family Programs, Malcolm has continued to work on a number of initiatives to help mitigate disproportionality and disparate outcomes for children in out of home care. Malcolm received his Master's Degree in Public Administration from Seattle University.

Donald Felder, PhD

Dr. Donald Felder is an educational liaison with the Casey Family Programs in Seattle, Washington. He graduated from the University of Washington and later earned a doctorate degree from Union Institute, Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Felder retired from Seattle Public Schools, serving as a teacher, consultant and principal with Interagency Academy for 29 years. During his tenure he passionately protected the educational rights of foster care children, out-of-school students, adolescent offenders, and homeless youth. Dr. Felder worked at Antioch University as an adjunct professor and is invited to lecture at local universities, focusing on topics like multiculturalism, behavior management and curriculum and instruction development. Dr. Felder has proudly achieved 35 years of marriage, is a proud father of 3 children, and they have blessed him with 6 grandsons and one baby girl.