In Hope of a Better Future

06.03.2020 | As an organization that advocates for racial justice, we are pained and outraged by the unconscionable killing of George Floyd by the Minnesota Police Department and the systemic racism that has taken the lives of so many members of the Black community.

Every day in our work, we see the many ways that systemic racism deeply affects the students and families that we exist to serve: for example, 93% of the students in emotional distress who are handcuffed by school-based police officers instead of receiving supportive mental health treatment are Black and Latinx. We see the impact of systemic racism on a regular basis, when we fight for individual students—young people who are growing up with the burden of knowing that the deck is often stacked against them—and in the policies we strive to change.

At Advocates for Children, we will continue to do our part to create a New York that is more just, and we stand by our community partners in calling for change to begin to dismantle the systemic racism that oppresses communities of color. We will continue to reach for our vision of a school system that provides all children with the instruction, support, and opportunity they need and that no longer leaves Black children behind.

We are grateful for your partnership and support in these difficult times.

In hope of a better future,

Kim