About Us

The Repeal ASFA Steering Committee was incubated by Movement for Family Power. After developing a strategy that goes beyond repealing the Adoption and Safe Families Act, the Repeal ASFA Steering Committee emerged as the Families First Initiative, existing to strengthen Families and end family separation. 

Mission

The core mission of the coalition is to ensure family-first perspectives that honor and keep families together are implemented at the State and Federal levels and that the community knows and understands that the child welfare system should not place, replace, or displace children.  The Families First Initiative will accomplish this through policy, advocacy, narrative, and organizing work. 

Steering Committee

  • Kelis Houston

    Kelis Houston is the Founder of Village Arms, and her work focuses on family preservation and reunification through parenting education, in-home visits, resource acquisition, and culturally-based advocacy. 

    Village Arms was created in direct response to the over-representation and disparate treatment of African Americans across the child welfare service continuum. Kelis’ personal mission is to address and help eradicate these disparities through legislative action, youth and family advocacy, policy reform, and community engagement.  

  • Dr. Bishop Marcia Dinkins

    Marcia Dinkins is the executive director of Black Women Rising and launched the Black Appalachian Coalition (BLAC) on June 18, 2021, as an initiative to ensure accurate and inclusive accounts are being told. In addition to her roles at Black Women Rising and BLAC, Bishop Dinkins serves as the part-time executive director for Ohioans for Sustainable Change (formerly Ohio Interfaith Power and Light). Bishop Dinkins brings a wealth of knowledge to this work, with a background in community organizing related to domestic violence, health and safety, education, climate, environment, employment, and criminal justice. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary and Women and Gender Studies (University of Toledo) and a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Policy (Youngstown State University). and a Ph.D. (Union Institute and University) in Public Policy and Social Change.

  • Ashley Albert

    Ashley De Anna Albert is a formerly incarcerated mother, national advocate, and consultant whose work centers families impacted by the family policing system. Grounded in lived experience with foster care, incarceration, and family separation, she brings a healing justice and reproductive justice lens to systems reform, policy advocacy, and community education. Ashley is the founder of Intuned Consulting, the creator of Stolen Children’s Month, and the first parent in Washington State to successfully enforce and modify an open adoption agreement.

  • Vonya Quarles Esq., BS, BM, JD

    Vonya Quarles Esq. is a native Californian and the co-founder of Starting Over, Inc. and Riverside All of Us or NONE chapter. She is system-impacted herself and works to address the complexities and collateral consequences of criminal convictions as they relate to family reunification, housing, employment, and other intersections.

    Vonya was a 2011 Women Organizing for Justice Fellow, 2012/13 Women’s Policy Institute Fellow,  2013 Eleanor Jean Greer Leadership Academy Fellow, 2015 W. K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) Racial Equity and Healing Fellow and a Rosenberg Leading Edge Fellow working on Family Reunification.