Dear FTNYS family,
Our family-run organization has been built on the foundational values of dignity and respect for all families. It is not within our conscience to stand on the sidelines when the lives of people of color are at risk of violence and living in fear.
We want to validate the concerns, fears, and frustration expressed on behalf of communities of color through protests across the country. FTNYS denounces the systemic racism and troubling rhetoric that incites violence, produces fear, and further quells the voices of people who are oppressed.
We are committed to addressing the systemic issues that harm families and youth of color and the long-ignored effects of racial trauma. Furthermore, we are committed to finding ways to move forward, to support families that are impacted and grieving, and to identify strategies that promote healing and unity.
In our work and personal lives, we know that families and children of color often experience a very different America than white families. Poverty, trauma, and behavioral health issues are not exclusive to any one group of people, but the prevalence and severity of their effects have well-documented racial disparities.
In every child-serving system that we navigate, families of color are more likely to be negatively impacted. Youth of color are disproportionately arrested and prosecuted in the justice system, suspended or expelled from school, separated from their families in the child-welfare system, and are more likely to die by suicide due to unaddressed behavioral health issues.
And recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated these systemic disparities even more, as exposure and mortality rates among people of color far exceed those of their peers.
If our country is to heal from the unjust killing of George Floyd and the countless other incidents of racism, and ease the confrontations between communities and law enforcement, we must recognize that recent unrest is predictable and preventable because we are doomed to repeat that which we do not repair. Our culture must shift from one of apathy to empathy.
It should not be controversial to state that black lives matter, black families matter, or black children matter. We stand in solidarity with all families who want to live in a world where that is not just an aspiration, but a reality.
Those with privilege must stand with those without privilege and demand that those in power listen to those without power.
As a network of peer advocates, we must honor the lived experiences of our fellow families and young people. We must always live up to our values of diversity and inclusivity, and recognize that racism is a public health issue.
As family members, we must collectively make our voices heard in a resounding call for unity and humanitarianism; for celebrating diversity with humility and respect; for embracing inclusion with grace. Civil rights belong to all of us --- so does our responsibility to maintain them! Our children are watching.
Sincerely,
Paige Pierce, CEO
Families Together in New York State
