Centering Families of Color - (Families, Law, and Society) by Nancy E Dowd & R A Lenhardt

Book Synopsis

Centers families of color in family law, revealing their pivotal role in shaping justice, equality, and social change and how their perspectives reframes the scope of family law

Centering Families of Color argues for the reframing of how we define "family law." Centering the voices and perspectives of families of color, it expands and contextualizes how the law functions in relation to families. It exposes the impact of structural inequalities as they differentially and hierarchically impact families. This groundbreaking volume thus reorients how we think of family law, offering the experiences of families of color as critical to both the diagnoses and solutions for structural inequality.

While conventional treatment of families of color marginalizes their role socially and politically as add-ons, this volume centers them as essential. Leading scholars across disciplinary groups unearth and expose the hidden norms of family law, identify the critical history of how the law impacts families of color, and detail their dynamic contributions to social transformation. Families of color offer affirmative, resilient strategies for social justice and reform.

At a time of diversity among families and dramatic changes in the pattern of life, this volume provides a critical examination of the legal structures that impact families from the much-needed perspective of families of color. Centering Families of Color showcases how families of color are central to understanding what family is and how families interact with the law.

Review Quotes

"Centering Families of Color is an urgently needed labor of thought and love. The book is a gift to those that want to understand the systems that harm and render children and families invisible. It engages the mind and touches the heart, bringing to light the challenges faced now and importantly presents pathways forward not only for law but a more embracing humanity."--Michele Bratcher Goodwin, Linda D.Timothy J. O'Neill Professor of Constitutional Law and Global Health Policy, Georgetown Law

"An incredible collection by an outstanding group of scholars and advocates, this volume is a clarion call to make family and constitutional law meaningful for all families. Brilliant critique and analysis are coupled with clear pathways for change."--Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Dean and Ryan Roth Gallo Professor of Law, Boston University School of Law

"This groundbreaking collection interrogates and reshapes the conceptual foundations of family law. It demonstrates that the law's legitimacy and relevance hinge on embedding the values, lived experiences, and guiding principles of families of color into its very structure and application. In doing so, it charts a necessary course for a more just and inclusive legal framework. This work should be required reading for policymakers, legal scholars, educators, and advocates committed to transformative change."--Tonya L. Brito, George H. Young Professor of Law, University of Wisconsin Law School

About the Author

Nancy E. Dowd (Editor)
Nancy E. Dowd is Emeritus Professor, University of Florida Levin College of Law, where she was a University Professor and Director of the Center on Children and Families. She is the author of multiple books, most recently, with Margaret Beale Spencer, Radical Brown: Keeping the Promise to America's Children.

R. A. Lenhardt (Editor)
R. A. Lenhardt is Agnes Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Race, Law, and Justice and Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Georgetown Law. She is the co-editor of Critical Race Judgments: Rewritten U.S. Court Opinions on Race and the Law.