Addressing racial inequity requires both honest reflection and informed action.
In Kansas, that means understanding the historical roots of today’s disparities, listening deeply to community experience, and using data to guide smarter, more just solutions. Together, history and data give us the clarity we need to transform how families experience social service systems.
This piece by the Racial Equity Collaborative Executive Director Shanelle Dupree explores why both matter — and how the Racial Equity Collaborative is working alongside communities to turn insight into meaningful change.
At the Racial Equity Collaborative, our work centers on training, advocacy, and real-time data to help communities dismantle barriers that prevent families of color from achieving equitable outcomes in social service systems.
But effective change requires more than good intentions. If we don’t understand where we’ve been, what families are experiencing right now, and where we are headed, our impact will always be limited.
To move forward, we must hold both history and data, because both shape how families experience systems today.
Why History Matters
Years ago, I was new to a social service agency and eager to build relationships with community partners across Wyandotte, Atchison, Douglas, Johnson, and Leavenworth counties.
My team arranged meetings but warned me that one particular county had long struggled to work collaboratively with our agency. Community partners were disengaged and distant. Trust was low.
After several attempts, a few organizations agreed to meet. Sitting across from a woman who was deeply known and trusted in her community, I asked a simple question: “How can we serve your clients better?”
Her response was immediate and emotional.
She shared how, years earlier, her mother had been treated with deep disrespect and humiliation when she came to the agency seeking food assistance. That moment stayed with her, and nearly 25 years later, it still shaped her distrust of the system.
We listened. We didn’t defend ourselves. We didn’t interrupt. We simply listened.
Then I asked, “What would you need to see from us to trust us with the families you serve?”
That question opened the door to honest dialogue and eventually, to partnership. By understanding the history, sharing it with staff, and intentionally changing our practices, we were able to rebuild trust and better serve families.
What often gets missed in our interactions is this: History lives in people’s bodies, memories, and communities.
Every system carries a history. And how a system has treated people in the past shapes how it is experienced in the present.
As trauma research shows, the body keeps the score. When harm happens, it is remembered, passed down, and carried forward.
The History of Child Welfare and Racial Disparities
The family and child welfare system has its own complicated and painful history, particularly in how it has treated Black families.
From the denial of basic resources to the disproportionate removal of Black children from their homes, racial inequities have been deeply embedded in policy, practice, and public perception.
Today, the data makes this clear:
- Black children represent 14% of the total child population in the United States, yet account for 23% of children in foster care.
- White children represent 49% of the child population, but only 43% of foster care placements.
Black children experience the foster care system at significantly higher rates, and the consequences are profound.
Young people who exit foster care are far more likely to experience homelessness, incarceration, early pregnancy, and lower educational attainment. These are outcomes none of us would accept for our own families, yet they persist across generations.
Understanding this history and this data isn’t about assigning blame. It’s about building clarity and responsibility.
Why Data Matters: Introducing the RED Dashboard
This is why the Racial Equity Collaborative created the Raising Engagement Data (RED) Dashboard, a public, real-time data tool designed for everyday people working to support families across Kansas.
The RED Dashboard brings together child welfare and community wellbeing indicators, drawing from:
- U.S. Census data
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data
- Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) administrative data
- The Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), which measures community-level stressors like poverty, housing instability, and access to transportation
Developed in partnership with researchers at the University of Kansas, the dashboard helps counties understand where families are most vulnerable and how systems can intervene earlier and more effectively, before foster care becomes necessary.
The SVI, in particular, allows communities to see how social determinants of health shape child welfare involvement. Research shows strong links between higher vulnerability scores and increased child maltreatment allegations and foster care placements.
Put simply: When we understand community stressors, we can design better prevention strategies.
Turning Insight into Action
Data alone doesn’t create change… people do.
That’s why the RED Dashboard was designed to be accessible, practical, and empowering, not intimidating.
You can explore the dashboard here.
A Spanish-language version is also available here.
We also invite community members, service providers, and advocates to join our upcoming RED Dashboard training and focus group on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
In this two-hour session, participants will:
- Learn how to navigate and interpret the dashboard
- Explore how to use data for community-level planning and advocacy
- Share feedback to help improve the tool
Participants who attend the full session and provide feedback will receive a stipend. Register here.
It All Matters
History matters.
The harm communities have endured matters.
Healing matters.
We cannot heal what we refuse to acknowledge, and we cannot transform systems without understanding both the past and the present.
By combining historical awareness with real-time data, Kansas communities can identify where support is most needed and take meaningful steps toward preventing foster care involvement and strengthening families.
Join the Journey
The Racial Equity Collaborative invites you to join this ongoing journey toward equity, justice, and belonging in our social service systems. Sign up for our periodic newsletter for updates, insights, and opportunities to take action HERE.
