FosterAdopt Connect recognizes the ways in which racism, both systemic and outright, negatively impacts the children and families we serve. As an anti-racist organization, we want you to know exactly where we stand. Read our anti-racism statement below.
Anti-Racism Statement:
FosterAdopt Connect has a long history of working for social justice for all people. We are a caring community with a commitment to core values that include Diversity, Passion, Hard Work, Selflessness, Creativity, Innovation and Integrity. We are committed to the work of being welcoming and affirming to people of all ages, ethnicities, races, disabilities, sexes, sexual orientations, gender identities, and religions in our Board, Staff, Volunteers and provision of services.
We acknowledge that in the United States, and in Missouri and Kansas where we provide services, there is a more than 400-year history of slavery, oppression and racism towards Black and Brown people which is both systemic and personal in nature. Systemic racism exists across a society within and between organizations and institutions. Personal racism is the beliefs, attitudes and actions of individuals which support or perpetuate racism. As an anti-racist organization, we are committed to dismantling systemic racism within the systems we can impact, and disqualifying and rejecting displays of personal racism as antithetical to our organizational values and culture.
We acknowledge that racism can also be unconscious or unintentional, and that identifying racism as an issue does not automatically mean those involved in the act are racist or intended the negative impact. As an anti-racist organization we are committed to purposefully identifying, discussing and challenging issues of race and color and the impacts they have on our organization, its systems and its people. We also challenge ourselves to understand and correct any inequities we may discover. We expect to gain a better understanding of ourselves during this process.
We acknowledge that white privilege has provided many of us with inherent advantages in terms of educational opportunities, family income and property ownership, relationships with people in positions of power, and other opportunities which were not earned by us and are simply afforded to us by our birth, in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice.
We are resolved to explicitly and publicly affirm our identity as an anti-racist organization, and,
We are resolved that our commitment to anti-racism will be reflected in the life and culture of the organization through our policies, practices and programs as we continue to learn about racism.
We are resolved to build the diversity of our Board, Staff, Volunteers and Clients (foster families) through thoughtful, planned outreach and activities so that our organization is reflective of the children and families we serve.
We are resolved to address our own internal leadership deficiencies by demonstrating through our practice the commitment we have to including the voices of our Black and Brown staff, board members, and clients, and by working to recruit, mentor, and encourage the addition of Black and Brown team members in leadership positions at all levels of the organization.
We are resolved to find opportunities to engage in the work of dismantling the systemic impact of racism on the child welfare system by addressing the underrepresentation of Black and Brown fostering families, through intentional recruitment efforts for foster and adoptive families of color, and by working to keep Black and Brown children in foster care connected to their families and communities by using family finding recruitment initiatives for every child we can possibly serve in this way.
We are resolved to find opportunities to engage in the work of dismantling the systemic impact of racism on the child welfare system by addressing the overrepresentation of Black and Brown children in foster care in the areas we serve, by working to protect the sanctity of Black and Brown families who are at risk of foster care intervention by providing services which are culturally appropriate and effective in the communities we serve.
We are resolved to build our capacity for education, introspection and growth for our Board, Staff, Volunteers and the children and families we serve through purposeful exposure to information on bias, privilege, racism, and key competencies for transracial parenting.
We acknowledge that as an organization, we have a long way to go to achieve these goals, and
We are resolved that FosterAdopt Connect will get there.