Abigail Williams-Butler

Abigail Williams-Butler’s research is on the precipitators of racial disparities within the child welfare and juvenile justice system. She received her Ph.D. from the Joint Social Work and Psychology Program at the University of Michigan and her M.S.W. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Publications:

• Williams-Butler, A., Boyd, R., & Slack, K. (2023). Parenting strengths and distress among Black mothers reported to the child welfare system: The role of social network quality. Social Service Review, 97(2), 231 – 269. https://doi.org/10.1086/724564.

• Williams-Butler, A., Howard, T., Anthony, W., & Duron, J. (2023). Adverse Childhood Experiences, sexual debut and substance use among Black justice-involved youth: The imperative of trauma-informed sexuality education. Children and Youth Services Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.106847.

• Williams-Butler, A., Dorsey, M., Lateef, H., Howard, T., Amoako, E.,* & Nartey, P.* (2022). Black girl well-being: A scoping review of culturally and gender responsive interventions. Research on Social Work Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497315221147531.

Media Appearances/Speaking Engagements:

• Advancing Research on African American Families in Economically Marginalized Communities. (2024). Morehouse School of Medicine.

• Intersectionality in health care settings: Exploring racialized gender differences in mental health service use among African American youth in the juvenile justice system. (2023). Cincinnati Children's Hospital Grand Rounds Talk

• Cutting edge issues in child maltreatment panel. (2022). LEAD Predoctoral Institute in collaboration with the Center for Innovation in Child Maltreatment Policy, Research and Training at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis

Previous Organizations: 

• University of Michigan

Accomplishments:

• Letter to Governor Kathy Hochul in Support of Preserving Family Bonds Act.

• Preserving Family Bonds Act Teach-In. Brooklyn Defender Services.

• Exemplary Inclusion, Intersectionality, Diversity, Equity, and Advancement (IIDEA) Research Recognition Award

Upcoming Projects:

• Williams-Butler, A., Cunningham, S., Gandarilla Ocampo, M., Golden, K., & Mendez, A. (Revise & Resubmit). Understanding the expansion of social control and helping professionals as unwilling agents of the State: The passing of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Journal of Social Policy.

• Williams-Butler, A., Cunningham, S., Fowler, G., Gandarilla Ocampo, M., Golden, K., & Mendez, A. (In Preparation). The criminalization of parents and justification for the overrepresentation of Black women, children, and families in child protective services: The Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act. Social Service Review.

• Williams-Butler, A., Nartey, P., Farmer, A. & Hervie, V.M., Naami, A. (In Preparation). Understanding the Oppression of Black Girls and Women within the Global Context: Illustrations from Ghana and the United States. Journal of International Women’s Studies.

In my work I focus on reducing and eliminating racial disparities within the child welfare and juvenile justice system. I also examine the role that racialized gender differences play in perpetuating social and racial inequalities as well.

"Just Takes" is an Op-Ed/thought piece/writing initiative at the Institute for the Study of Global Racial Justice. Affiliated-faculty and Rutgers Researchers on Race can submit pieces of writing of 500 words or less pitched to orient their research towards a more public audience and/or as relevant for a current issue in the broad area of global racial justice. 

See Dr. Williams-Butler's "Just Take" here: https://globalracialjustice.rutgers.edu/Just-Takes

There is a long literature on the structural gendered racism which has resulted in the overrepresentation of Black women and children in the child welfare system. This research group uses intersectionality as a guiding framework to examine how race, gender, and class oppression influenced the passing of federal child welfare legislation that precipitated the overrepresentation of Black women, children, and families within the child welfare system. (Roberts, 2002; Roberts, 2012, Roberts, 2014). Their study takes this literature one step further by identifying the mechanisms of how coded language played a role in the passing of federal child welfare policies

https://globalracialjustice.rutgers.edu/what-we-do/research-groups-and-projects