Jamela is a survivor of domestic violence and the child welfare system in Detroit, MI. She is a single mother of seven children. Through enduring these intersections she wants to share her experiences to create positive change in her community and to support and uplift others by becoming a Parent Advocate.

Yolanda Woldeguiorguis is a survivor of domestic violence and uses her voice to help other mothers. Yolanda has been involved in the child welfare system since she was a baby and was removed from her parents. Yolanda was adopted by her foster family when she was young and was recently reunited with her birth parents. Yolanda is the proud mother of 3 children. Yolanda’s experience as an adult survivor of domestic violence brought her back in contact with the child welfare system because she reached out to police for help. Yolanda wants other survivors to know that it’s not their fault, to be cautious about calling the police for help and to shed a light on the person who is causing the harm and not on the victims of abuse.

Selena Hernandez is a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault. When she was 17 years old, she got out of an abusive relationship and just when she thought the nightmare was over, she was being investigated by DCFS. Selena lost her job because of the abusive relationship, didn’t have access to a phone or any transportation, and handled all of this while trying to finish and graduate High School. Selena had taken protective measures to keep her son safe but none of that seemed to matter. That’s when she realized there needed to be a change. Today, Selena is a parent advocate and a DV advocate in the Illinois DCFS child welfare system. "I did all I could given the circumstances I was living in."

In January of 1999, Sharwline Nicholson decided to end her relationship with the father of her infant daughter. But when she ended the relationship, he responded with violence. After she was assaulted, Sharwline reached out to the police and to a friend asking that her friend watch her children while she went to the hospital. While she was at the hospital, the child welfare system removed her children for reasons of failure to protect. Sharwline fought to get her children back and along with other women filed a class action suit citing deprivation of their 14th amendment right of due process protecting familial relationships. Nicholson v. Williams would eventually lead the New York Court of Appeals to rule in 2004 that a parent’s inability to prevent a child from witnessing abuse could not be a sole factor for removing a child and that you had to balance the harm of removal with the harm of exposure to domestic violence.

Teresa Nord is a Parent Mentor at the ICWA Law Center helping native families navigate their cases while supporting successful reunifications with their children. She understands the struggles of the Indian families involved in the child protection system because she has lived it. Teresa is a mother of two beautiful girls ages 13 and 3. She is a Native woman in recovery having over 6 years of sobriety. Teresa struggled greatly with her mental health and addiction to heroin. She was incarcerated and lost custody of her oldest daughter to her daughters’ father, who was still in active addiction. During Teresa’s case, her lineage to the Navajo and Hopi Nations was overlooked impacting her case, services and the placement of her daughter. After Teresa’s release she began to thrive personally and within her community. She represented herself in court to reverse the custody finding and won. Teresa is a liaison for the American Indian Prison Project Working Group and continues her work healing formerly incarcerated Native women. Teresa serves as a fellow and emergent leader with the Women Transforming Families: Rising to End Violence, Oppression and the Legacy of Trauma national cohort where continues advocating for Native families to bridge the gap of Domestic and Sexual violence in the Child welfare System.

Melissa Sampson-Grier is a member of the Yakama Nation. She has over 20 years experience in Child Welfare, specifically focusing on Tribal relations, racial equity & community organizing. She currently helps lead equity efforts for the Oregon Department of Human Services.

LaChetta Johnson is Founder & Executive Director of The House of Kadence, a Faith Based direct services and referral agency for Black women who are victims/survivors of DV, Homelessness and/or the Child Welfare System. She received her Bachelor of Science from Central Michigan University and her Masters in Forensic Psychology from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

Isa Woldeguiorguis has been the Executive Director of The Center for Hope and Healing, Inc. (CHH) for over seven years. Prior to this, Ms. Woldeguiorguis has worked in the antiviolence field for twenty-five years, holding several statewide and national roles in the movement to end sexual and domestic violence. She is a well-respected leader and national trainer in the field of child abuse, domestic and sexual violence, system change, race and equity.