Part 2
I stood at the microphone and met Judge Miller’s eyes.
“Your Honor,” I said, “when I was six years old, my parents died in a car accident. I had three younger siblings—four, two, and eight months old. The system separated us within two weeks.”
The courtroom stayed completely still.
“I went to one foster home. My brother went to another. My two little sisters were placed with different families in different cities. They promised we would still see each other. We didn’t. I aged out of the system at eighteen having seen my siblings only four times in twelve years.”
I paused, looking at the five children sitting together on the bench. The oldest boy was still holding his little sister’s hand, trying to be strong for her.
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