Structural Oppression & Solutions

By Alex Zimmerman, Chalkbeat New York, April 9, 2021 The education department is launching a training program next month for parents, paying them $500 to become “wellness ambassadors” addressing mental health needs in their school communities. The initiative will pay the stipend to parent leaders from roughly 950 schools in neighborhoods hardest hit by the coronavirus, according to Adrienne Austin, an acting deputy chancellor who oversees parent outreach. She revealed a “sneak peek” of the...

By Abigail Abrams and Abby Vesoulis, Time, March 18, 2021 When Maile Chand reminisces about her 2016 pregnancy, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t how she prepared her daughter’s nursery or vetted baby names. Instead, she remembers constantly struggling to find enough money for food and rent in San Francisco. Chand was just 20 years old at the time, living in the nation’s most expensive city, and working a low-paying retail job while attending community college. Navigating San...

"We're a nation that needs hope and healing" - Alfred White Are you someone who has experienced adversity in your life such as addiction, chronic stress, homelessness, incarceration, or other trauma? On March 28th, listen in on a Conversation with Dr. Veronique Mead on Sunday Nights with Alfred White: Real Talk Health and Wellness for the BIPOC Community. Dr. Mead is the founder of Chronic Illness Trauma Studies and her work has been life-saving for Alfred's health. Join us on TLOEP's...

From Every Family Forward, March 2021 OVERVIEW As America rapidly evolves into a more racially and ethnically diverse country, we see that future in our children. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation commissioned an in-depth research study to explore the experiences of parents and caregivers today as they raise the next generation of children. The project began with interviews and focus groups, culminating in a survey of approximately 2,000 parents and caregivers to hear directly from them...

Violence Against Asian Americans: How Do We Support the Children? Wednesday, March 24, 2021 @ 8:30 pm ET Ahora con traducción en vivo y en español (lea más abajo) The murders of eight people at massage parlors in the Atlanta area, most of them Asian American and women, marks only the most awful, recent contribution to a year-long spike in violence against Asians and Asian Americans in the US. The advocacy group STOP AAPI [Asian American Pacific Islander] Hate received some 3,000 reports of...

By Elizabeth Crouch, Elizabeth Radcliff, and Melinda A. Merrell, et al., Child Abuse & Neglect, February 27, 2021 Abstract Background: Examination of racial/ethnic differences in positive childhood experiences (PCEs) is needed, as the absence of supportive factors may hinder children from healthy processing and mitigation of adversity. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of PCEs in a nationally representative sample of children and determine whether PCE...

The Center for the Study of Social Policy, in collaboration with Casey Family Programs, is recruiting focus group participants for Our Identities, Ourselves: Antiracist Data Project which will uplift the voices of young people, parents and caregivers with lived experience and gather information to develop best practice guidance that supports child welfare agencies in collecting and using accurate data on race, ethnicity and other identities. We need help recruiting participants for the...

The I Have a Voice: Caregiver Advocacy Series , led by Tamika Daniel, Behavioral Health Community Organizer with Greater Richmond SCAN , is a discussion series featuring stories and helpful tips about how caregivers can and do advocate for themselves, their children, and systemic change. As a bridge builder who empowers others and a parent with lived experience advocating for herself and her children, Tamika brings her own unique voice and skills to each conversation. The series premiered on...

If we think of drawing another person as a metaphor for truly seeing and honoring them, what does it mean that the children in our lives, White children and children of color alike, often exclusively draw White characters? As parents of multiracial Black girls we asked this question ourselves when we noticed that the racial diversity in their lives - friends, dolls, books, other children's media - wasn't reflected in the people they drew, who were largely White. It made us think about how we...

From PBS Kids, Public Broadcasting Service, February 2021 Children are never too young to learn about diversity. As young as 3 months old, they may look differently at people who look like or don’t look like their primary caregivers. As parents and caregivers, we must have confidence in ourselves and in our children — that we, and they, can handle tough topics and tough situations. We must understand that our role is to be honest, specific, and trustworthy as we raise the next generation to...

By Tanya Mendis, WCNC, February 8, 2021 Congresswoman Alma Adams remembered vividly the day her daughter nearly lost her life. It happened when her daughter was trying to bring life into this world. “A physician overlooking my daughter’s complaints of pain in her abdomen, not listening to her needs as a Black woman,” Adams said. “Their dismissal of her pain almost cost my daughter her life.” Adams’ daughter’s experience is one that echoes through the Black community. Maternal mortality rates...