California Alliance Statement on Recent Murders of Black Americans

The recent murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Armory, Breonna Taylor and countless others have left our communities feeling anger and despair. Amid a global pandemic, we continue to face the realities of abuse of power and racial injustice.

The Alliance stands in support of the families of these victims, and as an organization that represents 145 nonprofits who serve primarily at-risk children, youth and families from diverse backgrounds, we must come together to recognize the structural racism that continues to exist in many of our public systems. As our member organizations work to reduce the impacts of poverty and trauma, we must dig even deeper to uproot the underlying structures that keep these inequities alive. Black, Latinx and Native American children continue to be placed in foster care and in the juvenile justice system at disproportionately high rates and continue to be impacted by the inequities in our educational systems.

These protests are the cries of generations of pain and suffering brought to the surface by experiencing over and over again the fear of being harmed by those who should be a source of protection. A public health crisis and historic unemployment, both of which are impacting communities of color in greater proportion than whites, have further shone a light on the structural inequities in our nation.

It is our responsibility to not only give voice to these inequities, but to act in thoughtful, meaningful and sustained ways to ensure that the next generation of youth can rise up, and to continue to help to heal through understanding, compassion and justice.  As we continue to advocate for children, youth and families served in our public systems, the Alliance will work to be accountable to them, to ensure all voices are heard, and to do better on their behalf.