What happens when the system refuses to name race in a system where race shapes everything?

In this episode of Torn, we welcome back Maleeka Jihad (MJ) for a direct and unfiltered conversation about how racial bias operates within the child welfare system—and why avoiding conversations about race allows harm to continue.

From the concept of “best interest” to visitation, diagnoses, and so-called “evidence-based” practices, MJ challenges the idea that these decisions are neutral. Instead, she examines how they are often shaped by bias, opinion, and frameworks that were never designed with Black and Brown families in mind.

This conversation speaks directly to what many advocates experience in their work:

• Decisions made without cultural understanding or relevant expertise
• Policies that exist on paper but are not followed in practice
• Parenting standards that reflect one perspective, not all families
• Systems that rely on opinion rather than research or science

MJ also breaks down how commonly used concepts—like attachment theory and evidence-based services—can be misapplied or weaponized when used without context, particularly for families of color.

If race were centered honestly in child welfare, the system would be forced to reckon with how it defines safety, parenting, and “best interest”—and who those definitions truly serve.