April is Child Abuse Prevention Awareness Month, providing an opportunity to bring awareness to our racially lopsided child welfare system. Research has shown that children of color are more often reported, investigated and found to be victims of abuse or neglect compared to white children. One of the most overrepresented populations is Alaskan Native children. During the month of January 2014, 63% of Alaskan children in out-of-home care were Native despite the most recent census estimates suggesting that less than 15% of the general population in Alaska is either American Indian or Alaskan Native. This startling level of disproportionality is not unique to Alaskan Natives or even American Indians. It is an epidemic that is well-documented and persists throughout our child welfare service system, resulting in children of color spending their childhood and beyond separated from their families, their communities, and their culture.
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