When I was in foster care, I felt really hopeless at times. I just felt cut off from the whole world, so tikkun olam and my Judaism have really been everything for me, because even before I had a notion of the Foster Youth Bill of Rights, I had an idea that I can take anything that I’m experiencing and use it to make hope for the people that come behind you.
The first draft of the bill really just kind of came out at me. I just started writing about all of the things that I wanted to fix in the system. And over the course of a year, I shared my story with legislators, testified at committee hearings, and advocated in the media. Tennessee is very divided, but this was something that garnered support on both sides of the aisle. When it passed, I… that was one of the best moments of my life. I really got to watch people connect over a shared cause and a shared love and that was so beautiful and so powerful and really affirmed for me you can make a difference. Across the state of Tennessee, this law now protects every foster youth with access to education, safe housing, medical care, and the ability to report abuse and neglect.