June, 2020
Dear Friends,
Youth Crossroads, Inc. (YC) recognizes that institutional racism and social justice inequality exists in our nation and community. We acknowledge that our country’s current systems perpetuate racism. We support and will work towards equitable system changes in our schools, social services, financial, justice and other systems that have fed and nurtured racism over the past 400 years.
We stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. We champion our staff who support the movement by peacefully marching in protests, giving donations to support change and that continue to reflect, in their own awakening to our systems’ inequities.
Youth Crossroads continues to learn the effects of racism and racial trauma on young people’s social and emotional development. We acknowledge that improvements are needed in how African-American youth can better access our services. We are committed to learning and deepening our capacity for culturally-sensitive service delivery.
We commit to engageing black and brown youth and professional staff more deeply in key organizational planning, decision-making and leadership opportunities. Youth Crossroads will expand its Board of Directors to be more racially representative of the communities we serve and more active in their racial diversity education.
We pledge to be a stronger voice within our networks and community collaborations to build immediate and long-term collective intolerance to racial inequities and institutional injustice whenever and wherever we find it.
We acknowledge we do not have all the answers: that we need to listen, to learn deeply and better understand how to dismantle and rebuild systems inside and outside our organization that are equitable to all. We also acknowledge that system change is difficult; that it is wide and deep, slow, and can be easily “shelved.” However, our staff and Board of Directors stand committed as an organization to end racism in our country.
We are humbled to stand together, to raise our voices together, and to remain steadfast in our resolutions for systems change.
YC Staff and Board of Directors