Real Stories

My childhood was filled with war and terror, from growing up in a war-torn country to fighting my own battle with accepting my identity as a Queer Black Muslim girl. I was born in Liberia during my country’s second civil war that displaced so many Liberian families. My family and I escaped the war and came to the US in...

I am Marcus Bell; I am 27 years young and I was raised in the system. I came into care at the age of six months along with my two brothers. I was placed into six different foster homes and separated from my siblings several times. Although, I remained in contact with my biological brothers and mother while being raised...

Sometimes life gives you a bad hand. With your cards already dealt, there’s nothing else to do but take a seat and play the game. At the age of 6, I was brought into the foster care system after accidentally burning down mine and my mother’s room – prompting a thorough investigation. Fast forward about four years – I developed...

I entered foster care at age 12. I was in an abusive home and would act out so that I could get in trouble and hopefully get recognized so that I could get help. Life in foster care as an LGBTQ youth was far from easy. When I went into my first group home I was young and scared so...

When I was 8, I would find myself in a peculiar but fateful point in my life when I would enter into the Arkansas Foster Care system through child endangerment and neglect. Fortunately, my mother complied with the requirements in order to end our case in a reunification before my 10th birthday. Unfortunately, the reunification was unsuccessful as my mother...

Often the world we live in is something that no one would expect for it to be. When we are born we do not get a choice as to who are parents are or the class we're born into. While some explain family to be happy, cheerful and constantly giving reassurance, I didn’t know what that was like. Many people...