“Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in.” –Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Shelter has joined 51 other child welfare agencies in Illinois to form the Child Welfare Coalition under the umbrella of the Illinois Collaboration on Youth, and address diversity and equity in the system. This comes at a time when Governor Pritzker’s Cabinet and the Illinois General Assembly are focusing on racial equity at many levels as never before.
It has long been recognized that there is a disproportionate number of Black children in the child welfare system and with fewer positive outcomes. While systemic racism plays a part in the inequity, it is only one facet of the complex problems of an under-resourced system.
The Child Welfare Coalition will be penetrating below the surface and advocating for changes in housing, mental health care, and education as well as a racial bias that form the roots of inequality for children and families we serve.
“To bring about real change,” says Shelter’s executive director Carina Santa Maria, “takes collaboration and a willingness to have discussions outside of people’s comfort zones. But the children and families we serve deserve our commitment to apply critical assessment and accountability to the system whose sole reason for existence is to benefit them.”
The newly formed coalition will be developing its strategic plan through 2021. Check back to Shelter’s website and social media posts for progress reports.
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