Unnecessary family separation inflicted by the child welfare system – frequently referred to as the family regulation system – is one of the most pressing civil rights problems ravaging Black and brown families and communities across New York. Treating families based on assumptions about race, poverty, gender, and disability causes immense damage. Yet, currently no organization dedicates itself to bringing affirmative litigation on behalf of families to challenge and remedy the abuses of this system.

Until now.

Housed at the Urban Justice Center’s Social Justice Accelerator program, the Family Justice Law Center (FJLC) is assembling our staff, mobilizing resources, and developing a litigation strategy. We will fill the void in dedicated advocacy on behalf of poor families of color. FJLC will challenge the rampant, egregious, and illegal separation of families and the harms attendant to the cruel dismantling of families.