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Seen Out Loud

Seen Out Loud is a show about disrupting the child welfare system by the simple act of seeing families in their full humanity. Seeing people for who they truly are, and learning from their stories, offers new perspectives and compelling insights that can lead to radical transformation of America’s foster care system. Listen with us to families as they share deeply personal stories about their experiences with the child welfare system. Hear them express how the moments they were finally seen and valued shaped the trajectories of their lives. In this podcast, we accompany these stories with conversations about the work happening on the front lines of the family well-being movement—a collective effort aimed at meeting the needs of families to prevent systems intervention and the removal of children from parents. Hear leaders of the movement describe how they are actively building a future where families are engaged in systems work and have what they need to stay together and thrive.

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Seen Out Loud

WHAT IF WE DIDN’T HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL BAD ENOUGH

October 13, 2021 • Institute for Family • Season 1 • Episode 1

Spoken word poet, Slam Anderson, and her mom, Lillie Lee-Williams, engage in an emotional conversation demonstrating the strength of family bonds despite a 14-year child welfare-initiated separation. This episode questions what would happen if the child welfare system was designed to support root causes of family stress instead of waiting for late-stage intervention. Plus, Slam recites her spoken word poem “My Need for Change,” detailing her experiences with the system, which Matt Anderson refers to as the “anthem” of the family well-being movement.

Show Notes:

0:56 | Meet Slam Anderson, spoken word poet

1:08 | Slam recites the first segment of her original poem “My Need for Change.”

2:50 | Slam shares insight on life growing up and how her mom poured into Slam and her siblings' lives while struggling to make ends meet.

5:00 | Meet Lillie Lee-Williams, Slam’s mom.

6:55 | What would’ve helped Lillie’s family?

8:26 | What does it feel like to go through a system that isn’t designed to truly listen to what families need? Listen to Lillie’s experience when she asked for help.

9:40 | What happened to Slam when she and her siblings were separated from their mother, Lillie? Slam reveals her story and shares the second segment of her poem “My Need for Change.”

16:00 | How does Slam find her love for poetry?

17:54 | After 14 years, Slam and Lillie share how reconnecting was emotional and exhilarating.

20:05 | The third and final segment of Slam’s spoken word poem “My Need for Change.”

21:20 | Matt asks Lillie, “What do you want us to know? What do you want us to do?”

23:00 | Matt shares final thoughts.

Transcript:
View transcript here

Resources:

Slam works with these organizations to promote self-empowerment and love: Kitchen Table and FosterStrong

Introduction to Family Well-being: Promoting Child & Family Well-Being | Child Welfare Information Gateway

Program example of in-home services that build supports for families: CHSNC | Family Preservation Program

Kinship Care Resources | Child Information Gateway

Housing Services | Child Welfare Information Gateway

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