July 3, 2020
Dear Day Home Community:
We are deeply saddened by the unwarranted killing of Breana Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd. Foremost, the loss of three innocent lives, these deaths illustrate the systemic devaluation of Black lives in America that is immoral, unacceptable, and most tragically, longstanding.
Saint Vincent’s Day Home stands with the Black community to condemn the prolonged attack they have endured. We extend this solidarity to those acting for the demise of racial injustice, police brutality, and racism in America with all of its devastating effects at home and internationally. As educators, we understand the impact of fear on human development and firmly believe that no one should grow up anticipating violence or exploitation because of their cultural origin.
For over a century, Saint Vincent’s Day Home has stood firmly for the safety and wellbeing of children and families. From our earliest roots caring for children of working, immigrant mothers to advocating educational equality for Black children during the civil rights era to welcoming a new wave of immigrants from the 1970s to present time; our consistent response to injustice has been to ensure that children felt loved and represented in the Day Home – seeing faces and hearing languages that were familiar – and that families received the social support they needed to overcome life’s challenges.
The visionary women who led the Day Home followed their hearts and conscience as they met the moral and ethical challenges of their time so they could truly be of service to children and families. Again we are called to reflect more deeply, challenge our beliefs, and build healthier practices until we are exactly the educators and caregivers this present generation requires.
Because change only occurs when words are followed by action, the Day Home will take the following actions this year to build our accountability and commitment in the work to deconstruct racism:
- Acknowledge our biases around race, gender and socio-economic conditions and develop a plan to ensure equitable treatment for children, families, and staff.
- Provide additional care during this difficult time when the intersection of COVID-19, job loss, decreased access to childcare, and racial violence further threaten the security and stability of many families.
- Support self-care, training, and educational opportunities for employees to equitably encourage sustainable advancement within the organization and the field of early education.
- Ensure that our staff and leadership continue to reflect the cultural identity and experiences of the families we serve.
- Encourage and support staff involvement with organizations that promote social justice and educational equity.
- Align our organizational values and program objectives for education, community engagement and philanthropy, and family engagement with the anti-racist ethos.
As a new generation of leaders, we too will follow in the steps of our foremothers, to examine our own complicity and follow our conscience so that we may guide children to develop a strong cultural identity and learn to lead with vision and compassion, knowledge and might.
We are inspired by the young, bright leaders who are now demanding social change. They may in fact be the children we encouraged to find their voice and care for their classmates a generation ago. We cannot ignore them as they defend the rights of the oppressed, especially now when the clear vision for a beautiful future lies within reach. We will support their initiatives much like we supported their earliest childhood dreams.
Our earnest hope is that we may all realize that one man’s cry for breath indicates the collective suffocation of our goodness, and that we will come together to use whatever power or agency we have in this society to ensure that racism ends – once and for all.
In solidarity,
