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The woman behind the DHS protest rally August 7, 2008 By Alan Tu
Kalyna has called on the public to join her and a number of mothers who feel DHS unjustly took custody of their children. Kalyna says since the grand jury report on the death of Danieal Kelly came out, she's afraid that DHS will go on a " foster care panic" and begin snatching up children for even the slightest hint of neglect. The protest in front of DHS, she says, is to pressure the agency to return children to their mothers where there is no evidence of actual neglect. Kalyna is a former social worker who once worked for Children's Aid Society of Pennsylvania that does work for DHS. She says many children are taken away based on an unsubstantiated complaint that may be from a family member seeking retaliation or a racist neighbor who wants a black family to leave. Kalyna says the group DHS – Give Us Back Our Children protests in front of the agency building at 16th and Arch streets on the fourth Thursday of each month in hopes that things will change at DHS. Asked if she's optimistic that DHS will be reformed under the new mayor, Kalyna who has met once with the new DHS Commissioner Ann Marie Ambrose says "She's human, she has human feelings, and that's a hopeful sign." If Kalyna's name rings a bell to you, it's because she has a way of inserting herself into niche causes. Some of the past groups she is or has been active with include:International Wages for Housework Campaign, Wages Due Lesbians US, Global Women's Strike, and Crossroads Women's Center. Oh, and I almost forgot she's part of Svitanya, a local eastern European women vocal ensemble. |
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Longtime activist Mary Kalyna takes to the streets later this afternoon in front of Philadelphia's embattled Department of Human Services. Since earlier this year, Kalyna and her group,