“At a time like this…the feeling of the nation must be quickened, the conscience of the nation must be roused, the prosperity of the nation must be startled, the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed, and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced.”
– Excerpt from “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” written by Frederick Douglas
As George Floyd was murdered while in custody of the public service agency whose sole purpose is to protect and serve the people, the world witnessed, yet again, our nation’s inability to treat the Black community with equal justice.
And although this occurred in a different state, in another community, our community is not devoid of this injustice.
Black and multiracial children make up more than 10% of the foster kids we serve at Child Advocates of Silicon Valley. This disproportionality, highlights that even our local child welfare system – in one of the most progressive counties in the country – is not immune to the effects of systemic racism.
We must do better, and because we can, we will do better.
As we stand in solidarity with our Black community – with our Black families, children and youth in the Dependency Court system – we will continue to ensure that every Black child in our care receives the nurturing support and resources needed to thrive.
That we will report to the Court the real-life experiences of our Black children and youth to assist the Court in making the best-informed decisions.
That we will work with all of our justice partners to do right by our Black community.
That our Black children and youth, and all of our Black Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) Volunteers, will recognize Child Advocates as a safe space.
A space that welcomes them.
A space that opposes racism, bigotry and oppression.
A space that understands equity, what it means to be inclusive and demonstrates it as a culturally responsive organization.
We stand in solidarity with our Black community. And we do so proudly, because, Black Lives Matter.
Frederick J. Ferrer
Chief Executive Officer
Child Advocates of Silicon Valley