| Black Lives Matter |
| The murder of George Floyd by the police in Minneapolis—and the murders of Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and so many more—lay bare, yet again, the pervasive and enduring racism, and dehumanization of Black lives that continue to have fatal consequences. In addition to brutal violence and racism embedded in our institutions, the insidiousness of White supremacist culture is a daily assault against Black people. The fact that racism is killing Black people is starkly evident in the converging crises of the moment. COVID-19 has foregrounded for much of White America what Black Americans have long known and experienced since our country was founded. Racism kills more than any health crisis. It kills with guns, often in the state-sanctioned hands of police, lack of access to health care, inadequate education, and denied opportunity. And by White America’s implicit, if not explicit tolerance, and thereby support of those realities. Black people in Northern California are 2.7 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than Whites; unemployment is 3 times higher for Black Americans than White Americans–less than half of Black adults now have a job. Racism contributes to shorter lives–the life expectancy for Black Americans is 3.5 years fewer than it is for White people and Black infants are 2.3 times likely to die as White infants. As Roxane Gay wrote, “The rest of the world yearns to get back to normal. For Black people, normal is the very thing from which we yearn to be free.” At WestCoast, we see the effects of the converging injustices on the children and families we serve. Sixty percent of our clients are Black, and most are involved with the child welfare system. All live in or near deep poverty. The pandemic and unending violence are also taking a particular toll on our Black staff members who serve them. Stress and fatigue are high, as is WestCoast’s resolve and commitment to change. We are currently working on short and long-term changes that we can make internally and will promote externally to combat racism, racial violence, and mitigate its impact on Black staff. We are committed to meeting the mental health needs of our clients and advancing just and equitable policies that will improve the systems that deeply impact our children’s lives. This means relentlessly working toward a future where our Black children and youth experience a world in which they are treated and shown every day that their lives matter. As a White CEO, I am writing to all our WestCoast supporters, but in particular our White allies, urging you to take action. We’ve provided a non-exhaustive list below: In Solidarity, Stacey Katz Learn and act: Demand that Oakland Unified School District and other local districts remove police from schools. The Oakland School Board will be voting on a motion on June 24th. Hold police accountable: The four mechanisms for holding law enforcement accountable: community-based, political, civil, and criminal. Advocate for comprehensive policy solutions: Informed by data, research and human rights principles – can change the way police serve our communities. Divert funding from police and invest in education, health and opportunities for communities of color.Tell your city to adopt these eight policies to restrict use of force and reduce killings by police and save laws. End white silence. Educate yourself with these additional resources and suggested actions. Donate to organizations dedicated to ending injustice: Anti Police-Terror Project is a Black-led, multi-racial, intergenerational coalition that seeks to build a replicable and sustainable model to eradicate police terror in communities of color. Black Earth Farms is a grassroots Pan African and Pan Indigenous farming collective growing food in the East Bay. They are taking donations of food both for those jailed during the recent protests and for people organizing bail funds and medical resources. Black Organizing Project is a Black member-led community organization working for racial, social, and economic justice through grassroots organizing and community-building in Oakland. Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice CURYJ (pronounced COURAGE) believes youth and young adults are the experts on the issues affecting their lives and must be leaders in developing policies that impact them. Transgender Law Center Grounded in legal expertise and committed to racial justice, TLC employs a variety of community-driven strategies to keep transgender and gender nonconforming people alive, thriving, and fighting for liberation. |