The child welfare system causes harm to Black children and we have known this for decades June 22, 2020 Alan Dettlaff and Kristen Weber Black children are over-surveilled , over-policed and over-removed by the child welfare system. Once involved in this system, the trauma and harm that results from foster care causes irreparable damage to Black children, and serve as a source of their ongoing and continued oppression. As a field, we have known this for decades. And now it is time to abolish...

By Rachel Becker June 16, 2020 Breanna Dixon doesn’t remember struggling to breathe when she overdosed, but her younger brother Joshua hasn’t forgotten the sound. At first, it sounded like heavy snoring coming from the TV room in the Dixon family home in Fontana, where the siblings were sheltering in place with their parents. It had been a month since the novel coronavirus forced California to a standstill , and Dixon, 28, was struggling. She had already overdosed twice before in the two...

Racism has a long and complicated history in the United States. Psychological research has shown that racism and racial discrimination—at both the interpersonal and systemic levels—are barriers to human development and psychological wellbeing. This page showcases research on racism, discrimination, and social justice to improve psychological outcomes for underrepresented communities. On This Page: Calls for Papers American Psychologist Special Issue APA Journals Article Spotlights Books...

Air pollution and heat exposure can lead to stillbirths and low birth rates, say researchers. AYANA BYRD JUN 24, 2020 11:45AM ET Pregnant people in the United States who are exposed to air pollution and heat exposure have significantly higher chances of having a pre-term birth, stillbirth, or a baby with low birth weight, according to a new study. Black people and those with asthma are particularly at risk. The report , “Association of Air Pollution and Heat Exposure With Preterm Birth, Low...

The San Mateo County Office of Education has compiled a catalogue of resources for educators and community members on antiracism and social justice. Access the resources here: https://www.smcoe.org/for-communities/antiracism-and-injustice-resources.html#lessons

Medi-Cal has just published new policy making family therapy a covered benefit for children and adults with mental health disorders and for children who are at risk for mental health disorders. This will be especially relevant for children with ACEs. Under the guidance of the California Department of Health Care Services, the Medi-Cal fee-for-service program aims to provide health care services to about 13 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The Medi-Cal fee-for-service program adjudicates both...

By KQED Science, KQED, June 14, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic and the recent killing of George Floyd have brought longstanding racial inequities into sharp focus. One of those disparities concerns the high rate of coronavirus transmission among people of color. To talk about the intersection of race and health, KQED's Brian Watt spoke last week with California Surgeon General Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, who is known for her pioneering work on the role that childhood stress and trauma play on...

By Lishaun Francis June 23, 2020 The shelter-in-place orders due to COVID-19 ignited widespread alarm, anxiety and depression for adults concerned about interrupting their daily routines, falling ill and maintaining their economic stability. Simultaneously, children and youth were struggling with the same fears. School closures, disconnection from friends and an abrupt stop to community resources put additional strain on an already tenuous hold on mental wellness for many young people. In...

June 15, 2020 Companies must confront racism at a systemic level — addressing everything from the structural and social mechanics of their own organizations to the role they play in the economy at large. We know that diversity programs have historically failed , but there are proven ways to improve hiring programs, interrupt bias at the team level, interrogate supposedly “color-blind” analytics, and support employees of color — especially Black employees. There’s much work to do on a...

America’s early learning infrastructure was fragile even before COVID-19. But the pandemic has pushed it to the brink of collapse. Half of all child care sites are currently closed and the ones that remain open do so at great risk to the health of providers and their families. With no other option but to stay home with their infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, millions of parents will be unable to return to work, paralyzing efforts to restart the nation’s economy. What has suddenly become...

photo courtesy of EJUSA/Ron Holtz Studio Forty-seven-year-old Al-Tariq Best, founder and executive director of the HUBB , an arts and healing organization for youth, recalls the rage, humiliation and fear he felt as a 17-year-old when he and three other Black friends were pulled over by police in Newark, N.J. Al-Tariq Best “[There were] all these people around us. They search the car. They strip the car down. They make us pull our pants down in broad daylight. And I'm, I'm upset. And I'm...

"Woke" language is not a substitute for the deep work anti-racism requires By Jamilah Pitts June 16, 2020 Educators have to move beyond the buzzwords and trends circulating today if we are seeking to truly transform schools. The terms “diversity,” “equity,” and “inclusion” simply are not enough. And I fear now that the radicalism tied to anti-racist work is being watered down. Educational trendy buzzwords pave a destructive road for the commodification of otherwise transformative action.