Woman with NC roots making an impact by sharing her story of foster care

A woman with North Carolina roots is making waves by sharing her experience in the foster system.

Angela Quijada-Banks is a best-selling author on Amazon and was just nominated for the 52nd annual NAACP Image Awards.

But life wasn't always this good.

"It was like a prison," Banks said.

Banks was placed in foster care at the age of 16 after experiencing neglect and abuse in her home.

"My mom was nowhere to be found, she had left in the middle of the night and my dad wasn't in the best financial situation," Banks said.

After spending three years in the system and being separated from her biological siblings, she decided to write 'The Black Foster Youth Handbook,' a guide for teens and parents dealing with the system.

"A lot of young people unfortunately go through so many different levels of trauma in the system and there isn't really a lot of support or understanding of how the system works," Banks said.

The idea came with the hopes of improving and raising awareness about the mental and emotional challenges of life during and after foster care.

"When young people age out around 18-21, they fall into homelessness and mental health disparities, as well as trafficking and things like that," Banks said.

She says foster care can be an uncomfortable and unfamiliar topic, but she feels it's something that needs to be discussed in order to heal and move forward.

"Regardless if it's popular or not popular, regardless if it's profitable or not profitable, this is something I know is part of my purpose, so I'm going to continue to do that," Banks said.

You can keep up with her work here:

https://www.blackfostercareyouthhandbook.com/

https://www.originalsoulflower.com/