“The Lost Children of Wilder” is a heartrending narrative that reveals the deficiencies of the foster care system in adequately supporting and safeguarding children of color. Shirley Wilder’s story is undeniably tragic, shedding light on the immense hardships she faced during her upbringing. Abandoned by her mother and estranged from her father, Shirley endured significant difficulties. Surprisingly, she was denied foster care solely because of her race. The system unjustly excluded children of color from these homes unless they belonged to specific racial or religious groups such as being white, Catholic, or Jewish. It is truly disheartening to comprehend that such discrimination persisted in the past. The fact that children were deprived of proper care and supervision based solely on their racial background is absolutely absurd.
There was an incident of racial discrimination in our town involving a girl who had lost both parents and was adopted by a white family. She was excluded from the local swim club solely because she was black, despite her adoptive family’s efforts to bring her there. This led her to file a lawsuit against the club and receive $200,000 as compensation. However, it is important to note that no amount of money can erase the emotional impact caused by firsthand discrimination. It is worth mentioning that mistreatment can legally result in troubled children being placed in foster care under “Under New York’s Family Court Act.”
