Roxanna Asgarian
@strawburriez.bsky.social
Journalist & author of WE WERE ONCE A FAMILY: A STORY OF LOVE, DEATH, AND CHILD REMOVAL IN AMERICA.
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
Think im gonna need to join some kinda support group after reading this one (esp. with this current administration) 🥲💙📚
April 21, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Think im gonna need to join some kinda support group after reading this one (esp. with this current administration) 🥲💙📚
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
Ten Books to Get To Know Me (upEND edition) 📚
And if you want to learn more about #FamilyPolicing and #Abolition, we have a whole #syllabus on our website. upendmovement.org/syllabus/
And if you want to learn more about #FamilyPolicing and #Abolition, we have a whole #syllabus on our website. upendmovement.org/syllabus/
October 15, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Ten Books to Get To Know Me (upEND edition) 📚
And if you want to learn more about #FamilyPolicing and #Abolition, we have a whole #syllabus on our website. upendmovement.org/syllabus/
And if you want to learn more about #FamilyPolicing and #Abolition, we have a whole #syllabus on our website. upendmovement.org/syllabus/
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
"Conservative politicians lean on tropes about 'groomers' and 'pedophiles' that drum up support from a wide swath of Americans... And the laws are getting increasingly punitive.” #ReclaimingSafety @strawburriez.bsky.social buff.ly/esqjYKI
Reclaiming Safety for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse - upEND Movement
Drawing on the wisdom of survivors, Asgarian posits powerful questions that challenge us to respond more humanely to child sexual harm in ways that prioritize youth agency, center healing, and hold…
buff.ly
September 3, 2025 at 5:04 PM
"Conservative politicians lean on tropes about 'groomers' and 'pedophiles' that drum up support from a wide swath of Americans... And the laws are getting increasingly punitive.” #ReclaimingSafety @strawburriez.bsky.social buff.ly/esqjYKI
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
September 26, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
(2/2) I have had these blurbs for months and still feel bowled over every time I see them! I can't imagine a better gift. @brian-goldstone.bsky.social @strawburriez.bsky.social
!["Show[s] how a hyper-focus on profit is making life harder for everyone and destroying wide swaths of American life... A crucial read."
-ROXANNA ASGARIAN, author of We Were Once a Family](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:bb6m3nt3ohlter5c35zjlt6z/bafkreifokvpkhbvxsxvwpbl5o3am6zskn7ebu5fjiwzr4p6stqbwj3kdie@jpeg)
April 22, 2025 at 5:59 PM
(2/2) I have had these blurbs for months and still feel bowled over every time I see them! I can't imagine a better gift. @brian-goldstone.bsky.social @strawburriez.bsky.social
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
My deepest thanks to @strawburriez.bsky.social
March 9, 2025 at 1:42 PM
My deepest thanks to @strawburriez.bsky.social
Is there a Calendly type app that syncs to your iPhone calendar? Cause this is killing me
February 6, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Is there a Calendly type app that syncs to your iPhone calendar? Cause this is killing me
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
An unusual bill now before the Texas Legislature would tighten conditions for CPS workers to pull kids from their parents’ homes.
TX Lawmakers Consider 'ICWA for All' Bill Affecting Child Removals
An unusual bill now before the Texas Legislature would tighten conditions for CPS workers to pull kids from their parents’ homes.
imprintnews.org
January 31, 2025 at 10:46 PM
An unusual bill now before the Texas Legislature would tighten conditions for CPS workers to pull kids from their parents’ homes.
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely. @strawburriez.bsky.social
The Survivors of Child Sex Abuse Who Don’t Want Their Abusers Punished
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely.
buff.ly
January 27, 2025 at 6:05 PM
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely. @strawburriez.bsky.social
Finally got the chance to sit with this one. It’s extremely well done, of course, as all Rachel Aviv’s work is, but it hit pretty deep because I’ve been thinking really deeply about these themes all year. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Alice Munro’s Passive Voice
The celebrated writer’s partner sexually abused her daughter Andrea. The abuse transformed Munro’s fiction, but she left it to Andrea to confront the true story.
www.newyorker.com
January 3, 2025 at 3:34 AM
Finally got the chance to sit with this one. It’s extremely well done, of course, as all Rachel Aviv’s work is, but it hit pretty deep because I’ve been thinking really deeply about these themes all year. www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
this was a book club one and it is not an easy read emotionally but I really recommend it!!!
We were once a Family: A story of love, death, and child removal in America by Roxanna Asgarian
Non fiction
About forced adoption of Black kids and murder
Non fiction
About forced adoption of Black kids and murder
December 31, 2024 at 4:33 PM
this was a book club one and it is not an easy read emotionally but I really recommend it!!!
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
In Georgia, a mom facing eviction reached out to DFCS for help. They offered her nothing. Soon the agency took her kids away because of "inadequate housing."
The state then paid *$6,200 a month* to house her kids in foster care.
One of the most important and infuriating stories I read this year:
The state then paid *$6,200 a month* to house her kids in foster care.
One of the most important and infuriating stories I read this year:
When Families Need Housing, Georgia Will Pay for Foster Care Rather Than Provide Assistance
In more than 700 cases over five years, Georgia reported inadequate housing as the sole reason for taking a child into foster care, a WABE and ProPublica analysis found. Advocates say it would be chea...
www.propublica.org
December 30, 2024 at 8:02 PM
In Georgia, a mom facing eviction reached out to DFCS for help. They offered her nothing. Soon the agency took her kids away because of "inadequate housing."
The state then paid *$6,200 a month* to house her kids in foster care.
One of the most important and infuriating stories I read this year:
The state then paid *$6,200 a month* to house her kids in foster care.
One of the most important and infuriating stories I read this year:
Since I have actual scarlet fever right now, I found this great essay on the real Beth March by Carmen Maria Machado. www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/08...
The Real Tragedy of Beth March - The Paris Review
Carmen Maria Machado on the alchemy by which a strange, bright, angry young woman becomes an ambitionless, anodyne, doomed character.
www.theparisreview.org
December 28, 2024 at 4:06 PM
Since I have actual scarlet fever right now, I found this great essay on the real Beth March by Carmen Maria Machado. www.theparisreview.org/blog/2019/08...
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
NEW: Women experiencing pregnancy loss in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves.
We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position. ⤵️
We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position. ⤵️
If You’re Pregnant, Here’s What You Should Know About the Medical Procedures That Could Save Your Life
Women experiencing pregnancy loss in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves. We created this guide for anyone who finds…
propub.li
December 19, 2024 at 12:00 PM
NEW: Women experiencing pregnancy loss in states with abortion bans told us they wished they had known what to expect and how to advocate for themselves.
We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position. ⤵️
We created this guide for anyone who finds themselves in the same position. ⤵️
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
***CONTENT WARNING: The featured article includes descriptions of child sexual abuse.***
A recent article by @strawburriez.bsky.social highlights the stories of survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) who seek safety & justice outside of punitive systems. 🧵
A recent article by @strawburriez.bsky.social highlights the stories of survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) who seek safety & justice outside of punitive systems. 🧵
December 13, 2024 at 3:17 PM
***CONTENT WARNING: The featured article includes descriptions of child sexual abuse.***
A recent article by @strawburriez.bsky.social highlights the stories of survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) who seek safety & justice outside of punitive systems. 🧵
A recent article by @strawburriez.bsky.social highlights the stories of survivors of child sexual abuse (CSA) who seek safety & justice outside of punitive systems. 🧵
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
This is such vital, illuminating work on an deeply complicated & challenging issue. Reported and written with admirable care by @strawburriez.bsky.social:
The Survivors of Child Sex Abuse Who Don’t Want Their Abusers Punished
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely.
newrepublic.com
December 13, 2024 at 3:21 PM
This is such vital, illuminating work on an deeply complicated & challenging issue. Reported and written with admirable care by @strawburriez.bsky.social:
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
If you’re interested in reading more—and in pushing back against the flood of lies about homelessness that will dominate headlines over the next four years—the book is available for pre-order here:
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America a book by Brian Goldstone
Through the unforgettable stories of five Atlanta families, this landmark work of journalism exposes a new and troubling trend--the dramatic rise of the "working homeless" in cities across America The...
bookshop.org
December 11, 2024 at 8:08 PM
If you’re interested in reading more—and in pushing back against the flood of lies about homelessness that will dominate headlines over the next four years—the book is available for pre-order here:
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
Let this sink in: there’s not a single state, city, or county in America where someone with a disability who receives SSI can afford a one-bedroom apartment.
SSI payments are capped at $943 a month nationwide.
The average monthly rent is $1,399—or an astounding *148%* of an SSI recipient’s income.
SSI payments are capped at $943 a month nationwide.
The average monthly rent is $1,399—or an astounding *148%* of an SSI recipient’s income.
About 7.4 mil Americans benefit from Supplemental Security Income (SSI), but 50% of SSI recipients live below the poverty line.
A stark reminder that the failure to keep pace with the cost of living is a policy choice. @socio-steve.bsky.social rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/50-year...
A stark reminder that the failure to keep pace with the cost of living is a policy choice. @socio-steve.bsky.social rooseveltinstitute.org/blog/50-year...
December 7, 2024 at 6:33 PM
Let this sink in: there’s not a single state, city, or county in America where someone with a disability who receives SSI can afford a one-bedroom apartment.
SSI payments are capped at $943 a month nationwide.
The average monthly rent is $1,399—or an astounding *148%* of an SSI recipient’s income.
SSI payments are capped at $943 a month nationwide.
The average monthly rent is $1,399—or an astounding *148%* of an SSI recipient’s income.
“A little puppy knows that it can’t get kicked out of its pack or it will die—coyotes know that, baby deer know that,” said Staci K. Haines, author of “The Politics of Trauma.” “That’s a deep, profound, instinctual knowing.” newrepublic.com/article/1883...
The Survivors of Child Sex Abuse Who Don’t Want Their Abusers Punished
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely.
newrepublic.com
December 8, 2024 at 4:18 PM
“A little puppy knows that it can’t get kicked out of its pack or it will die—coyotes know that, baby deer know that,” said Staci K. Haines, author of “The Politics of Trauma.” “That’s a deep, profound, instinctual knowing.” newrepublic.com/article/1883...
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
thank you so much, @strawburriez.bsky.social
December 6, 2024 at 10:02 PM
thank you so much, @strawburriez.bsky.social
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
This is one of the most powerful, confronting, and empathetic stories I’ve read in a long time.
Survivors, and particularly prison abolitionists, are often asked about forgiveness, as if taking prison off the table as a punishment requires selflessly forgiving your abuser. That question misunderstands the problem entirely. newrepublic.com/article/1883...
The Survivors of Child Sex Abuse Who Don’t Want Their Abusers Punished
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely.
newrepublic.com
December 4, 2024 at 11:11 PM
This is one of the most powerful, confronting, and empathetic stories I’ve read in a long time.
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
An incredibly nuanced look at the devastating topic of child sexual abuse and how our typical responses often do more harm than good--and how we can do better by survivors.
My latest, for the New Republic, asks: What do survivors of child sexual abuse have to teach us about justice, and about healing? And might we start listening to what they have to say?
newrepublic.com/article/1883...
newrepublic.com/article/1883...
The Survivors of Child Sex Abuse Who Don’t Want Their Abusers Punished
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely.
newrepublic.com
December 4, 2024 at 7:11 PM
An incredibly nuanced look at the devastating topic of child sexual abuse and how our typical responses often do more harm than good--and how we can do better by survivors.
Survivors, and particularly prison abolitionists, are often asked about forgiveness, as if taking prison off the table as a punishment requires selflessly forgiving your abuser. That question misunderstands the problem entirely. newrepublic.com/article/1883...
The Survivors of Child Sex Abuse Who Don’t Want Their Abusers Punished
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely.
newrepublic.com
December 4, 2024 at 3:31 PM
Survivors, and particularly prison abolitionists, are often asked about forgiveness, as if taking prison off the table as a punishment requires selflessly forgiving your abuser. That question misunderstands the problem entirely. newrepublic.com/article/1883...
Reposted by Roxanna Asgarian
Really thoughtful read on survivors of childhood sexual assault who don't view punishment as a good resolution. (Content note, some graphic description/discussion of child sexual assault.)
The Survivors of Child Sex Abuse Who Don’t Want Their Abusers Punished
We assume that victims will find closure when the people who hurt them are imprisoned. But many say that to heal, they need something else entirely.
newrepublic.com
December 2, 2024 at 9:14 PM
Really thoughtful read on survivors of childhood sexual assault who don't view punishment as a good resolution. (Content note, some graphic description/discussion of child sexual assault.)