"End Racism Now" mural painted in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
In the wake of the tragic murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and too many other Black Americans, nonprofits and other organizations have begun to take stock of their approach to racial equity. Many of them have posted statements pledging to do better. Friends of the Children, a high-performing nonprofit that empowers youth who face tremendous obstacles, decided to go deeper. Friends of the Children created a three-pronged plan that focuses on advancing two of its core values: Put Children First and Demand Equity. It also asked each of its 22 locations to explore how they could drive substantive change in their communities.
Friends of the Childrens proactive approach undertaken even as it scrambled to adjust its work in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic has much to offer any organization striving to turn its statement expressing support for the Black community into real-world change.
Building a Foundation
Friends of the Children was founded back in 1993 by Duncan Campbell, who was himself an at-risk child. Both of my parents were alcoholics, he explained. We were on welfare, living in a tough neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. My dad was in prison twice. But Campbell had some good fortune, too. In the face of chaos at home, he told me when I interviewed him for my book Engine of Impact (co-authored with Bill Meehan), I was fortunate to have profound, shaping influences by other caring adults in my life who encouraged and mentored me, and this was transformational. I landed on my feet and went on to have a successful career working in the private sector.
A youth from the Friends of the ChildrenAustin chapter enjoys time on the playground with his ... [+] Friend.
Campbell became convinced that the best way to help children with troubled and unstable backgrounds was through enduring mentor relationships, and he used the fruits of his business success to establish Friends of the Children. Many mentoring programs depend on volunteers. But Campbell decided that Friends of the Children would instead employ and train salaried professional mentors who could provide a high level of quality and consistency. The Friends of the Children model derives from that decision: Mentors, known as Friends, work with kids over a 12-and-a-half-year period. Children selected for the program, who come from the most adverse circumstances, benefit from that kind of sustained commitment.
Campbell was determined to ensure that Friends of the Childrens work would be evidence-based. Given my childhood, he told Leap of Reason, everything starts with reality for me. Whatever I was going to do for children, I knew it had to be grounded in real data and real outcomes. Today, Friends of the Children regularly measures results by working with an outside evaluator. (It also participated in a multisite, longitudinal randomized controlled trial funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.)
And Friends of the Children generates strong outcome data: 83 percent of Friends of the Children youth graduate from high school (or receive a GED); 98 percent wait until after their teen years to become parents; 93 percent remain free from involvement in the juvenile justice system; and 92 percent enroll in post-secondary education, serve in the military, or join the workforce.
Duncan Campbell, Founder, Friends of the Children (L) and Terri Sorensen, CEO, Friends of the ... [+] Children (R)
Meeting the Moment
Friends of the Children has always served people of color. According to CEO Terri Sorensen, 88 percent of the youth in its program identify as people of color (with 60 percent identifying as Black or African American, or as multiracial) and 68 percent of its program staff identify as people of color.
When I talk to Duncan, Sorensen continued, he says, This is work we have been doing all along, and that is true. The recent focus on Black Lives Matter has led Friends of the Children to ask what more it can do on the national level to end the structural racism that exists in education, juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health systems. Friends of the Children is taking this work further by creating a racial equity working group that includes46 percent of its board members. Previous equity work facilitated the creation of this group. Several years ago, Friends of the Children made a deliberate decision to increase the racial and ethnic diversity of its board. It was incredibly important that we bring` more diverse voices to the table who represent the youth we serve, Sorensen explained, a combination of putting children first with our demanding equity value is how we approach Black Lives Matter.
An adolescent and her Friend talking together from the Friends of the ChildrenBoston chapter.
Friends of the Children has taken steps internally as well, like creating a staff focus around racial equity, questioning how racial bias might have affected its policies, and auditing itself. Under the leadership of chief program officer Carmi Brown, a staff-led racial equity working group has begun to work on what Friends of the Children calls asset framing. This effort, said Sorensen, is based on the work of BMe Community, an organization that strives to present Black and brown people in a positive light by shifting the narrative away from such topics as poverty and prison and by focusing on positive contributions that Black and brown people make to society.
Finally, Friends of the Children is working with BMe to strengthen its advocacy within systems that impact its youth. Friends of the Children is also creating a new chief officer of racial equity position to help make decisions, align chapters, and communicate with stakeholders on racial equity issues. Weve always thought it would be great to do this, said Sorensen, but [the current focus on racial justice] spurred us to act.
Supporting a Movement
All of Friends of the Childrens 22 locations are working with the national organization to advance racial equity while also crafting and implementing their own approaches to this issue. For Gary Clemons, executive director of Friends of the ChildrenNew York, doing this work is both a professional and a personal commitment. Clemons joined Friends of the Children in 2008 as a Friend in its Portland chapter and quickly worked his way up in the organization. He is also a Black man who grew up in a community with high unemployment rates, lack of social services, and under-resourced schools, which attributed to his experiences with gangs and homelessness. Having overcome these obstacles to become a passionate advocate for marginalized communities, Clemons is determined to make the most of the current nationwide focus on racial justice. Im 44, he said, and for the first time in my life I feel like there could be change. I have made a pact with myself: We want to make sure this is not a moment it is a movement.
Gary Clemons, Executive Director, Friends of the ChildrenNew York
Under Clemonss leadership, Friends of the ChildrenNew York is working to implement and scale an anti-racism framework that starts by changing the narrative around race. A lot of times, when we talk about Black and Latinx people, we talk about them in such a negative way, or we do it through the lens of whiteness. Theres so much richness in those two cultures, and we want to make sure we bring it to life, he said. It is also essential to change this narrative in the minds of Black and brown youth. When he was working as a Friend, Clemons recalled, he knew from experience that his youth didnt feel affirmed by our society and made it a point to tell them what they were doing right. I told them how great they were, he explained, and how great their caregivers were, to reaffirm their identities.
Equally important, Clemons seeks to expand the definition of racism. The country has been stuck in a 1960s version of racism, which is just [about] color, he explained. You need to talk about institutional racism, but you also have to talk about culture how someone talks, dresses, looks. We demonize certain parts of Black or Latinx culture that are furthest from whiteness, and we need to think about it in a more expanded way. Clemons offered guidance on how organizations like Friends of the Children can begin that process: Highlight all aspects of Black and brown culture, and, as an organization, make sure that we tell positive stories around youth and communities we serve and talk more about systemic issues that act as barriers for them. Families have been part of a racist system for a long time, so we see symptoms but not the root causes.
A youth and his Friend from the Friends of the ChildrenLos Angeles chapter.
Addressing these causes, said Clemons, entails advocating for policy change; partnering with systems including criminal justice, foster care, and education that are often punitive toward Black and brown children; and mobilizing resources for Black and brown communities. And, he noted, even organizations like his own, with a long history of serving Black and brown people, need to consider how they may reflect the values of a society centered on whiteness. Whatever is in your mission, he concluded, figure out what you can do to influence change. We can all contribute to changing the narrative.
Read more from the original source:
For Friends Of The Children, Black Lives Matter Is More Than A Moment - Forbes
- Why does Black Lives Matter only care about black lives when white people are threatening them? - Telegraph.co.uk [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Presque Isle Black Lives Matter protests call for end to discrimination and symbols of racism - The County [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Majority agree with Black Lives Matter and say major police reform is needed CBS News poll - CBS News [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Shots fired as Black Lives Matter and Back the Blue collide in Provo - Universe.byu.edu [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Why Black Lives Matter-L.A. is trying to take down the county's first Black DA - NBC News [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Pence says leaders of Black Lives Matter movement have 'radical left' agenda | TheHill - The Hill [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter protests may have slowed overall spread of coronavirus in Denver and other cities, new study finds - The Colorado Sun [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Meaning behind the movement: Black Lives Matter - UNM Newsroom [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Cortland Black Lives Matter Cautiously Considers Support From Local Libertarians - Juvenile Justice Information Exchange [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- How Trump and the Black Lives Matter Movement Changed White Voters Minds - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- People of all races are supporting the Black Lives Matter movement - KELOLAND.com [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- People donated millions of dollars to the wrong Black Lives Matter foundation read this before you give to any charity - MarketWatch [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Nextdoor Will Offer Bias Training To App Moderators To Combat Racism - NPR [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Martin Luther King III on a Pivotal Wave of Black Lives Matter Protests - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- The lies told by the Black Lives Matter movement [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Trump: Black Lives Matter is a 'symbol of hate' - Politico [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- The Danger of the Black Lives Matter Movement - Imprimis [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- The Black Lives Matter movement explained | World Economic Forum [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter: A primer on what it is and what it stands for [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- 5 Things You Need To Know About Black Lives Matter | The ... [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- What Does "Black Lives Matter" Actually Mean? Why Saying ... [Last Updated On: July 1st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 1st, 2020]
- How Graffiti Artists Are Propelling the Vision of the Black Lives Matter Movement - Artsy [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- After being told to remove her "Black Lives Matter" face mask, Whole Foods employee quits in protest. - Berkeleyside [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter mural placed on top of building in 5 Points neighborhood - WRAL.com [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Corporate ads said Black Lives Matter. But the industry creating them is nearly all white. - NBC News [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter mural in Redwood City washed away after suggestion to paint MAGA 2020 - KRON4 [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter Activist: Abolishing The Police '100%' Means Just That - Here And Now [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- What Black Lives Matter Has Revealed About Small-Town America - The New York Times [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Before Black Lives Matter: Black justice slogans, symbols dating back to the 1700s - ABC News [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- 63% support Black Lives Matter as recognition of discrimination jumps: POLL - ABC News [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- 12 White Female Bodies in Garage Freezer Tagged "Black ... [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter -- Manifesto in Ten Points | National ... [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter - Wikipedia [Last Updated On: July 21st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 21st, 2020]
- New reports of vandalism to Black Lives Matter sign on the Gunflint Trail - wtip.org [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- How the NYC mayoral candidates have responded to the Black Lives Matter protests - City & State [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Magic forward Jonathan Isaac only player to stand, not wear Black Lives Matter shirt during national anthem - Yahoo Sports [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Dodgers to Auction Off Opening Day Black Lives Matter Jerseys - NBC Southern California [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- From the renegade to Black Lives Matter: How Black creators are changing TikTok culture - NBC News [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Police reveal identity of man killed at Black Lives Matter protest in Austin, Texas - Insider - INSIDER [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Survey posted to help determine location of 'Black Lives Matter Street' in Buffalo - WKBW-TV [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- UMTV's The Culture sheds light on the Black Lives Matter movement - University of Miami [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Orlando Hudson says he won't wear Black Lives Matter shirt - SCNow [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- NBA Season Officially Restarts With a Nod to the Black Lives Matter Movement - E! NEWS [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Organizers gather strength for the next push in the Black Lives Matter movement - Columbus Alive [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Listen to the young voices of the Black Lives Matter movement - The Guardian [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- A man held a Black Lives Matter sign in Harrison, Arkansas. He posted the racist responses to YouTube. - USA TODAY [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Fact Checking Kennedy And Markey On Their Black Lives Matter Claims - WBUR [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Technologys Role In Driving Progress In Black Lives Matter - Forbes [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Instead of demonising Black Lives Matter protesters, leaders must act on their calls for racial justice - The Conversation AU [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- A Black Lives Matter mural is defaced with red, white and blue paint in Washington state - CNN [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- From Bloody Sunday to Black Lives Matter, the role of the Black church is shifting - POLITICO [Last Updated On: July 31st, 2020] [Originally Added On: July 31st, 2020]
- Jackie Lacey, Husband Sued by Black Lives Matter Members Over Gun Incident - NBC Southern California [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Suspects in Black Lives Matter, Back the Blue rally assaults plead not guilty in Nevada County Superior Court - The Union of Grass Valley [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- 'Where Would the Black Lives Matter Movement Be Without the Right To Free Speech?' - Reason [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Black lives matter everywhere. That's why the world should support the #EndSARS movement - The Guardian [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Vandalism charges OK'd for damage to Black Lives Matter sign in Thousand Oaks - VC Star [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- What Angela Davis has to say about today's Black Lives Matter movement | TheHill - The Hill [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- A Wisconsin County cut funding to a domestic violence shelter that showed support for Black Lives Matter - CNN [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Starbucks customer says 'F--- Black Lives Matter' when asked to put on mask | TheHill - The Hill [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- A poll worker was fired for telling voters to turn their 'Black Lives Matter' shirts inside out - CNN [Last Updated On: October 20th, 2020] [Originally Added On: October 20th, 2020]
- Ben Harper talks Winter Is For Lovers, Black Lives Matter and special relationship with New Zealand - Newshub [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Cricket: West Indies and Black Caps take knee for Black Lives Matter - New Zealand Herald [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- COVID-19, Black Lives Matter, Superspreader: Oxford names 2020 words of the year, saying this year cannot be - MassLive.com [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- The Urgency of Black Lives Matters #BlackXmas in the Midst of Pandemic - Lasentinel [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- BTS, snubbed singers and Black Lives Matter: Here are 12 things to know about this year's Grammy Award nominees - MarketWatch [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter activists, Biden, and Fauci nominated for Time's 'Person of the Year' award - Washington Times [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- NZ, Windies teams to take a knee in Black Lives Matter gesture - Sportstar [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter: Will Britain change? Hard facts laid bare in Race And Revolution TV show - Sky News [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter calls for police chief and officers involved in shooting teen to resign - KFOR Oklahoma City [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Policing, Racism And The Black Lives Matter Movement In Albany - WAMC [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- Black Lives Matter has its eyes on Biden and the Georgia Senate election runoffs - Vox.com [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2020] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2020]
- The Weeknd Reveals Next Album Will Be Inspired by Pandemic, Black Lives Matter Movement - Billboard [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- 2020 in review: Five ways Black Lives Matter affected the arts in Ottawa - Ottawa Citizen [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- From the Pandemic to Black Lives Matter and the US Election, Here Are Foreign Policy's Top Arguments From the Year That Changed Everything - Foreign... [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- Coronavirus, Megxit and Black Lives Matter: Review of the year 2020 - South Wales Argus [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- Captain Tom and Black Lives Matter fist light up London skies for New Year display - Mirror Online [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- 2020 politics in review: Trump vs. Biden, Markey vs. Kennedy and Black Lives Matter - Boston Herald [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- THE 12 INTERVIEWS OF XMAS: Sinad O'Connor on Trump, Black Lives Matter and 'Trouble Of The World' - hotpress.com [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- Black Lives Matter shaped the nation and the north shore in 2020 - Itemlive - Daily Item [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]
- How Black Lives Matter brought the conversation of race and racism to the North Country - North Country Public Radio [Last Updated On: January 1st, 2021] [Originally Added On: January 1st, 2021]