Like Harriet Tubman, who blazed trails to freedom and returned time and again to guide others to liberation, Joyce James has emerged as a modern-day conductor of change.
When extraordinary speakers flew into Austin, they marked the beginning of a movement that would echo across the nation. James, recognizing the urgent need for transformation in today’s foster care system, channeled Tubman’s unwavering spirit of determination and leadership. In early October, she set into motion a powerful initiative, lighting the way forward just as Tubman once lit the path to freedom. Like her predecessor, who never lost a passenger on the Underground Railroad, James is steadfastly leading a charge to free our child welfare system from the bonds of systemic racism, gathering allies and advocates along the way who share her vision for revolutionary change.
The evening of December 5th, 2023, marked the beginning of our transformative gathering in Austin, Texas. As the founder of Saffron Trust Women’s Foundation, I witnessed firsthand how the journey began with an intimate reception dinner at Saltt, where the vibrant flavors of Southeast Texas set the stage for what would become a powerful convergence of minds and hearts. The choice of venue held special meaning, as it connected to Joyce James’s own roots in Port Arthur, creating a perfect blend of food, culture, and community coming together to break bread.
The following day, I watched as the Building Bridges, Removing Barriers Summit unfolded with profound purpose. The morning opened with a soul-stirring spiritual foundation as Psalmist Roshaunda Giron’s moving words of encouragement resonated through the room. Pastor Daryl Horton’s opening prayer set a tone of hope and determination for the day ahead.
Keith Bostic, President of Black Administrators in Child Welfare (BACW), welcomed us with the gravitas that comes from leading an organization with over 50 years of dedication to child welfare. The morning sessions dove deep into crucial historical context through Dr. Toni Oliver’s powerful examination of Black family separation and its relationship to the current child welfare system. Kamilah Bunn from the National Adoption Association provided critical insights into the national data landscape, painting a stark picture of the challenges we face.
Dr. Latise Hairston’s presentation, “Hushed Harbors Reclaimed: Where Pain Meets Power; and Healing Begins,” accompanied by Psalmist Giron, brought a profound spiritual and emotional depth to our understanding. Joyce James followed with “Once Upon A Time; The Texas Story,” sharing her four decades of experience and the groundbreaking model she developed that made Texas the first state to legally address disproportionality in foster care.
Perhaps the most compelling moment of the summit came during the Lived Experience Panel, masterfully facilitated by Cortney Jones, founder and Executive Director of Change 1. The room fell silent as panel members shared their raw, unfiltered stories. From Paula Bibbs’s heartbreaking perspective as a birth parent to Beverly Morris’s insights as a kinship caregiver, from Andrea Hamilton and Arthur Lowery’s brave recounting of their foster care experiences to Corrie Miles’s crucial voice representing Black fathers, each story painted a vivid picture of a system in need of transformation. As a grandmother myself, I was particularly moved when Iris Young shared her lived experiences of raising her grandchildren. My tears fell as she described the disrespectful treatment she received from the system, which offered her no support simply because she owned a vehicle—a factor that, according to their calculations, placed her above the poverty threshold for receiving assistance.
The afternoon sessions brought together powerful voices for systemic change. Dr. Sherri Simmons-Horton skillfully facilitated a Systems Response Panel that included Travis County Commissioner Jeff Travillion, Cynthia Simmons addressing legislative impact, and Veronica Lockett discussing legal barriers for CPS-involved families. Dr. Alan-Michael Graves provided crucial insights into systems response to fathers, while Susanne Cole shared the child care provider perspective.
As Joyce James emphasized throughout the summit, her aim was to provide data that speaks to the urgent need for accountability on the part of systems and institutions in serving Black children, youth, and families. The sessions were intentionally crafted with expert panelists to compel us to consider how we must “level up” to end the institutional and structural racism that lives and breathes in the very fabric of all “helping systems.”
This wasn’t just another conference—I witnessed a wake-up call that sparked a national movement. We must reminisce on the summit as more than a gathering, but as an urgent call for renewed action and collaboration among systems, institutions, and communities. The stories shared at this summit will continue to drive change as this initiative expands city by city across the country in 2025. The message was clear: the time for transformation is now, and it requires all of us—systems, institutions, and communities—working together to create lasting change. We are all needed in this crucial moment!
As I reflect on the future, the Building Bridges, Removing Barriers Summit stands as a testament to what’s possible when we combine spiritual encouragement, organizational leadership, historical perspective, and lived experiences in service of creating a more just and equitable child welfare system for all. Joyce James has indeed lit the path forward, and like Harriet Tubman before her, she’s showing us the way to freedom.
