Sade Daniels

A few days ago, a classmate, who’d recently read articles I’ve been featured in or authored, asked me if I was ever in foster care. Immediately, I contemplated lying, as I rarely ever disclose that information to people I don’t know or in situations that would warrant negative perceptions.

I’m currently in the midst of my first semester of graduate school at the University of California, Berkeley, and I want to drop out. I’ve called an aid advisor to see how much of a financial strain I’ll inherit if I drop my courses.

On Thursday, California State University, East Bay played host to the Peers Envisioning and Engaging in Recovery Services (PEERS) Transition Age Youth Summit. The ballroom where opening sessions were held showcased a buzzing mix of 200 people: teenagers clutching coffees, college students greeting one another excitedly, and a huddle of child welfare professionals shaking hands and hanging name tags around their necks.

This is a small vignette about self-esteem in group home care. It is a true account that I present as fiction to protect those involved … I knew this meeting would be pointless as we all glared, confused, at Candace, the group home counselor’s smiling face.

When I think about the “success stories” of the foster care system — and yes, I use air quotations over those two words — my mind doesn’t shift to the famous orphans-turned-millionaires and celebrities like Marilyn Monroe (who barely conquered the demons of her childhood) or Eddie Murphy.

The hotel ballroom in downtown Sacramento was packed. Nearly two hundred youth and child welfare professionals had gathered for an evening of performances by current and former foster youth. When it was her turn at the microphone, fifteen-year-old Sade Daniels noticed that the lively tenor of the crowd, amped up from the preceding musical performance, dissipated as it was announced that Sade would be performing an original poem.

In my last post, we heard Foster Youth Alliance (FYA) friend Ashley McCullough’s thoughts on effective advocacy. In this post, FYA Communications Manager Melinda Clemmons chats with Sade Daniels another inspiring young advocate.