A Podcast About Racial Disparities in the Child Welfare System
TornExplore systemic inequities in child welfare with Sonia Johnson, Esq. and Classie Colinet, Esq., seasoned defense attorneys dedicated to empowering advocates and parents for meaningful reform.
Hosted By
Sonia Johnson, Esq. and Classie Colinet Esq.
About Sonia
Sonia Johnson is a trailblazing attorney dedicated to transforming the child welfare system. Currently serving with the New Jersey Public Defender’s Office, Sonia specializes in defending parents in child welfare and termination of parental rights proceedings. Her passion for ensuring fairness and equity in the legal system is evidenced by her vigorous advocacy against the overreliance on psychological evaluations and her calls to reform legal standards.
Sonia’s commitment to social justice extends beyond her current role. Her career began as a litigation associate at a prominent Boston firm, where she honed her trial advocacy and negotiation skills and began providing pro bono services to vulnerable clients facing eviction.
About Classie
Classie is a strategic leader, accomplished attorney, and advocate for social justice, her professional journey is deeply rooted in public service and the championing of justice, diversity, equity, and inclusion. With her exceptional organizational, management, coaching, analytical, and writing talents, Classie expertly devises, structures, and enacts systems that ensure positive, impactful outcomes.
Currently, she serves as the Deputy Executive Director of an organization dedicated to social and climate justice, concentrating on delivering essential resources to often marginalized Black communities.
Listen to the Podcast
The Torn podcast explores the inequities present in the existing child welfare system.
Our hosts, Sonia Johnson, Esq. and Classie Colinet, Esq. have over 15 years combined working as defense attorneys in the child welfare system.
Their goals are to advocate for the complete overhaul of the current system, provide advocates with tools that can help them better advocate for families, and provide parents who are currently caught up in the system with information to help level the playing field.
Advocacy
Resources
The Impact of Court-Ordered PsychologicalEvaluations in Child Welfare Cases
In the child welfare system, families often find themselves at the mercy of court-ordered psychological evaluations—assessments that can determine the fate of parental rights and family unity. In this article, Classie Colinet and Maling Miranda examine the role of...
What Drives Us
Our Mission
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