We join with our colleagues in organizations across the country working to support young people by endorsing the statement put out this week by the America’s Promise Alliance, quoted in its entirety below. The staff and board of the Network are continuing to work on a strategic planning process through which we will be explicitly affirming our values as an organization, so stay tuned from more from us over the coming months. Please see the original post to view the co-signers.

Racial Trauma and Young People – Why We Can’t Stay Silent

June 01, 2020

Like so many others, we were deeply pained by
the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis this past Monday.
Unfortunately, this was not an isolated incident. Violence against Black
Americans, as we’ve seen with the recent deaths of Breonna Taylor,
Ahmaud Arbery, and countless others this year alone, is emblematic of
the systemic racism that remains in our country. The accumulation of
incidents like these, either experienced or witnessed, can have a
profound effect on our young people, particularly young people of color.
They worry that people in positions of power do not value and respect
the worth of each individual and that there’s a real reason to fear for
their safety when they go about their daily lives.

As leaders of youth-supporting organizations, we cannot be silent.
These acts of violence are manifestations of the inequities and
injustices that far too many of our young people encounter on a regular
basis. We know that this week’s headlines are a symptom of a larger
problem—one that cuts across every aspect of society, including schools
and other systems that serve young people and their families. We must
continue to address the well-documented psychological and developmental damage that occurs as a result of systemic racism. Decades of research
have linked racial trauma experienced by children to chronic stress,
inflammation, lower self-esteem, worsened sleep, and even chronic
disease. 

This trauma is not lost on young people. In the youth-led Barriers to Wellness
report, many young people described racism as a threat to their health
and well-being. In particular, young people of color cited feeling
overpoliced, undervalued, and unsafe in their own communities. They also
indicated a lack of trust in and fear of police, leading to anxiety and
avoidance of public places. Our young people cannot learn and thrive if
they fear for their own safety and well-being. As adult allies, it is
our responsibility to create space for the pain and suffering of so many
young people and communities, to actively engage in strategies to help
mitigate and prevent racial trauma, and equip adults with the tools to
show up as allies, mentors, and supports. 

As leaders of national youth-supporting organizations, we are
committed to working hand-in-hand with communities and young people
across the country to address these challenges and their root causes. We
know that this work takes time and concerted effort. We balance the
fierce urgency of now with humility for the persistent challenge that
many have fought for so long to address. All of our organizations want
to make clear our deep commitment to ensuring young people of color are
valued and safe, and that the inequitable systems young people face
every day are reimagined and rewired for justice and equity.