Special Series

Fighting for Kin

Ashley Boone is uniquely qualified to become an adoptive mom. But the 36-year-old Black woman with a two-bedroom home stocked with books and toys in a suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma, has been unable to take in the two children she says need her most: her nephews, ages 6 and 7, who live in Minnesota.

Boone is a licensed foster parent with expertise caring for higher-needs children, and an experienced social worker steeped in supporting kids who’ve been separated from their parents. Yet despite Minnesota laws that prioritize kin care, county officials in the state have sided with a white foster parent vying to adopt the two brothers, blindsiding their aunt.

In this two-part series, The Imprint reports on Boone’s fight to keep her family together, the resistance she has faced, and what happens next.

10/5/2023

Fighting for Kin: She’s a Social Worker and Foster Parent — But a Court Won’t Let Her Adopt Her Nephews

Sara Tiano

Despite laws prioritizing kin care, Minnesota officials have sided with a foster parent vying to adopt two brothers, blindsiding their aunt.

10/5/2023

Fighting for Kin: A Black Family Struggles to Unite with Two of its Youngest Members in Foster Care 

Sara Tiano

Challenges are myriad for an aunt seeking to adopt her nephews — from decades-old “attachment” theories to perceptions of courtroom body language.