African american children in the child welfare system: Requiem or reform

The sobering statistics concerning the plight of African American children have become routine excerpts found in nearly every publication concerning the child welfare system. This article examines the laws that govern the child welfare system in this country and assesses the manner in which these laws do not rectify or prevent the poor outcomes experienced by African American children. The authors discuss a reform perspective, conceptualized in an oppression framework, as a call to action to improve the status of children in the child welfare system. This reform perspective is designed for educators, as they play a critical role in preparing students and practitioners to become reformers.