Our Commitment to Stand with our Young People to Fight for Equity

April 20, 2021/

With the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines ramping up, it seemed like we might all be able to finally breathe a sigh of relief. But with the continued onslaught of police brutality, the rise of hate crimes, and the pervasive systemic racism that affects every aspect of American life, we are not yet able to breathe that sigh of relief. We face yet another epidemic, one that has run rampant for hundreds of years: white supremacy and systemic racism.

New Yorkers For Children stands in solidarity with those protesting the recent murder of Daunte Wright, and the countless other murdered Black and Brown members of our communities at the hands of police. We also stand with the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community amid the rise in anti-Asian hate that has surged in this country since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, with New York state having the second-highest number of reported attacks in the US in 2020.[1]

As an organization that primarily supports young people of color, New Yorkers For Children is deeply committed to working with our youth to identify effective solutions in the hopes of affecting larger systems change. In response to the recent and ongoing onslaught of attacks on communities of color, New Yorkers For Children pledges to continue to:

  1. Create spaces for our youth to heal and be heard; and incorporate their feedback into program design to continue to best meet their needs.
  2. Provide youth with the resources they need to achieve successful and sustainable independent adulthoods, such as access to necessary technology, youth development programming, peer mentoring, emergency funds, academic and financial coaching, career development, mental health support, and more.
  3. Grow our Anti-Racism Resources page with input from our youth and community members.

Please join us in our commitment to advocate for each member of our community. To share your feedback and ideas, please email [email protected]. White supremacy and racism are not just issues for people of color – they affect all of us, and we must all work together to fight for equity.   

Sincerely,


Saroya Friedman-Gonzalez
Executive Director 

[1]https://stopaapihate.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Stop-AAPI-Hate-Report-National-200805.pdf