Commitment to Anti-Racism
Black lives matter.
Our actions, language, and policies moving forward must be geared towards anti-racist behavior so that we can all live in a world where Black lives do, indeed, matter. We recognize the deep roots of institutionalized racism, including racist actions, language, and policies in workplaces, education, health care, policing, and other social systems, and the disparate impact this has on poverty for Black and BIPOC community members. Income disparities weigh more heavily on Black and BIPOC communities as a result of systemic racism. For example, in 2017, the national food insecurity rate in America hovered just under 12%. In Black households, nearly 22% were food insecure.*
To our community, but especially to those who hold marginalized identities regarding race, know this:
we care about you and we are here for you.
Accordingly, we submit the following in social concert and solidarity, calling for system-wide change to anti-Black violence and racism in our country.
We will not remain silent while members of our Black and BIPOC communities are subjected to racist intimidation, violence and brutality. CSC joins and reinforces the message of anti-racism in our community, both locally and nationally. CSC stands with all those who confront discrimination, and join our voice with theirs to speak for inclusion, equality, and justice. We commit to actively and loudly condemning a system that refuses to hold police accountable for anti-Black violence.
In this spirit, CSC’s immediate and continuous commitments to you are as follows:
1) We commit to addressing Black and BIPOC inclusion separately and distinctly from the organizations additional equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) efforts.
2) We will increase staff and board training on systemic racism against Black persons by actively seeking relevant perspectives and information impacting our services and members.
3) We will cultivate and maintain partnerships with Black-led organizations, nonprofits, and Black-owned businesses.
4) We will ensure that research surrounding poverty and institutional changes within CSC are inclusive of Black voices and perspectives.
5) We recognize that CSC is an historically white-led organization serving a diverse population of members. Nearly 35% of the population we serve identify as non-white, therefore we will actively develop and promote diversity in our hiring processes and in recruitment to the board of directors so that our leadership is reflective of the community we serve.
6) We know that even the most well-meaning people and organizations can unknowingly perpetuate the effects of racial discrimination. As such, we commit to readily receive and seek out feedback from Black and BIPOC communities regarding unknown ignorance that may exist within our systems and services.
7) We will use our social media channels and newsletters to share anti-racist and other EDI-related educational resources and information.
8) We will use our social media channels and newsletters to promote the work of our partner organizations, especially those primarily led by and serving communities of color.
9) We will implement additional programming consistent with these commitments after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic response requiring social distancing protocols.
10) We commit to long-term continuous improvement toward learning and implementing of the above actions.