5 Influential Women in Foster Care You May Not Know About

Born in 1872, Fredericka Perry was the granddaughter of the famous abolitionist and author Frederick Douglass. The Douglass family pursued social and political reform over many generations, and Perry followed in their footsteps. Her husband opened the first private hospital for black individuals in Kansas City, Missouri. Perry worked at the hospital and also spent time as a teacher and a juvenile court worker.

During her time as a court worker, Fredericka witnessed firsthand the injustices that would inspire much of her philanthropy work. There, she saw the mistreatment of black children in the pre-Civil Rights foster care system. Rather than being put in foster or group homes, they were often detained in juvenile delinquency facilities and remained stuck there until they became legal adults.

Lillian D. Wald was born in 1867 in Cincinnati, OH, but lived in New York City for much of her life. One of four children, Wald excelled at school and attended college to become a nurse. She first worked at an orphanage called the New York Juvenile Asylum while making further plans to become a doctor. However, one encounter with an ill mother in a rundown tenement building introduced her to the lack of affordable healthcare and quality living conditions for poor, often immigrant families. Women and children struggled particularly in an age where labor laws were scarce or unenforced, putting them at high risk for injury and illness.

With a new mission in her heart, Wald left medical school in 1893 and forged a brand new career path: a public health nurse. Her first big project, the founding of the Henry Street Settlement in 1895, provided healthcare for impoverished communities and eventually hosted children’s clubs, social gatherings, and career training. The Henry Street Settlement also provided a scholarship to help kids stay in school until their mid-teenage years.

In 1878, Grace Abbott was born in Nebraska to a relatively wealthy family. She performed well in school and eventually became interested in the many social issues plaguing the time. Throughout her life, she held the positions of teacher, social worker, and professor. She also championed many underprivileged communities, including children.

Abbott became the director of the Industrial Division within the Children’s Bureau in 1917. She enforced compliance with the child labor laws established the previous year. In 1921, she became chief of the Children’s Bureau and helped pass the Shephard-Towner Act. This act gave grants to child welfare programs for the first time in the nation’s history. Abbott also served as the US representative on the League of Nations‘ advisory committees on trafficking women and child welfare from 1922 to 1934.

Tiffany Wright is the director of the Division of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Arkansas. A seasoned leader with over a decade of experience, Wright oversees programs focused on child abuse prevention, foster care, family reunification, adoption, and child protection, leading a team of more than 1,000 employees across Arkansas. Since joining DCFS in 2009 as a family service worker, Wright has held multiple leadership roles, including Foster Care Program Manager, Foster Care and Adoption Program Administrator, and Assistant Director of Field Operations.

Recently, Wright began working with For Others and our partner, Restore Hope, whose 100 Families Initiative made waves in multiple Arkansas counties. Their model provides local support for kids and families in crisis, leading to fewer placements in foster care and more reunifications. Today, DCFS, other nonprofits, community members, and churches have joined forces to expand 100 Families statewide.

Olympic gymnast Simone Biles was born in 1997 in Ohio. Her mother wrestled with addiction and became unable to care for her children. Her maternal grandparents, however, were more than happy to raise Biles and her three siblings as their own. The kids were sent to Texas, where they grew up with grandparents they came to think of as mom and dad. Their attentive love led them to sign little Simone up for gymnastics, noticing that she loved to move and possessed boundless energy. The rest is history.

Simone Biles loves her grandparents dearly and always had their support. Still, fellow foster youth have a soft spot in her heart, and much of her charity work and partnerships focus on providing resources and encouragement to young people in the foster care system.