In recognition of Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day, Representative Ted W. Lieu (D | Los Angeles County) hosted a screening of the award winning television show The Fosters, followed by a panel discussion on Monday evening for an audience of over 200 foster youth, national policy experts, congressional staff, and Members of Congress. Today, Rep. Lieu hosted a former foster youth to closely shadow him and experience the life of a Member of Congress for a day.
“I firmly believe in the power of entertainment and media to educate audiences about important issues facing our society. The Fosters is a fantastic show which has not only received awards from GLAAD Media, but explores some of the challenges facing the foster care system and hardships faced by foster youth.
I am proud to host Angelique for today’s Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day. Angelique is a Philosophy major at UCLA and spent 3 years in the California foster care system. The fact that Angelique has overcome unbelievable adversity to make it here today is a testament to the human spirit. Angelique plans to use her life to help others and work to make higher education accessible to underrepresented groups, and I know she’ll do great things with her life.
We must do a better job protecting our most vulnerable children in our country and work to pass meaningful reforms, such as the Families First Act. For too long, our foster youth have been overlooked by society, and that must change.”
