Children's Services Council's statement condemning racism

 “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. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant, because it’s always still in the air.” (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, professional basketball player, author and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom).

Just like you, we at Children’s Services Council are tired, angry, scared, in pain, and mourning the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor – along with so many others – breaking our hearts again and again. 

We must name the racism that we see. We must mourn those we’ve lost. We must wholeheartedly condemn acts of racism against all People of Color.  Children’s Services Council will stand shoulder to shoulder with our Black and Brown co-workers, friends, neighbors and loved ones to be the catalyst for change – and strive toward the ideals our community was built on.  

Children’s Services Council of Palm Beach County is an organization dedicated to ensuring ALL children grow up healthy, safe and strong. Yet even as we have worked toward this mission for more than 30 years, we humbly recognize we have so much more work to do.

Why?  Because….

WE KNOW: Black mothers and Black babies die at a much higher rate than their White peers. 

WE KNOW: Black children, particularly Black boys, are more likely to be suspended from school for the same infractions as White children. AND arrested. AND incarcerated.   

WE KNOW: Black and Brown families are more likely to live in poverty due to explicit and implicit racist policies and protocols that, for generations, have limited – and continue to limit – access to resources and opportunities. 

WE KNOW: Black individuals are more likely to suffer from heart disease, diabetes and other life-threatening health complications because of toxic stress due to systemic racism.

WE KNOW: Black and Brown communities are being devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has turned the world as we know it upside down. AND…

WE KNOW: These disparities, these inequities, these injustices, run vein-deep in our society.  

There are about 310,000 children in Palm Beach County today, and nearly 15,000 born every year. Together, we must pull back the heavy curtains of denial and let the light in. Our children – every single one of them – deserve no less than that.