Your support of the Leaders of Color Summit helps propel the work forward, creating a more equitable world for all.
Atlanta, GA
Synopsis:
BBI in partnership with the Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), hosted its second Leaders of Color Project Summit May 10 – 12, 2023, in Atlanta, GA. This group consists of 25 Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) from across the country who are leaders of color from provider organizations, family and youth peer partners/advocates, and public oversight agencies. The summit activities were built on the previous summit (April 2022) and the group’s ongoing work associated with its work plan. While Summit 2023 mainly concentrated on the BBI Leaders of Color Project sustainability initiative, there were several impactful presentations and discussions:
ACRC and BBI are officially united under the same umbrella to better support providers and services to children, youth, and families;
Insights from a grassroots community-based organization, Ending the Need for Group Care; and
The Center for the Study of Social Policy’s (CSSP) UpEND initiative- which works to undo the carceral nature of the Child Welfare system.
In addition, summit activities produced ten specific project goals, which included BBI supporting its partnership with Social Current and the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, to provide a national Excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Certification and to secure funding for both BBI Leaders of Color Project sustainability initiative and the 2024 summit.
Please stay tuned to learn more about the release of the upcoming concept paper from the Leaders of Color, “Successful Strategies Faced by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Who Are Leaders & Aspiring Leaders: Navigating the Challenges Associated with Working within a Predominantly White Organization” and the BBI Leaders of Color Summit 2024, which will be potentially hosted by the Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice, in New York, NY or in conjunction with the ACRC Annual Conference in Phoenix, AZ in May 2024.
Baltimore, MD
Synopsis:
Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) in partnership with Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF), hosted a summit with the BBI Leaders of Color workgroup on April 27-29, 2022, in Baltimore, MD. This group of 22 leaders from across the United States is comprised of executive leadership from service providers and jurisdictional oversight agencies.
The summit was a culmination of effort and flowed from 2 previous virtual summits conducted over the course of the year 2021.
The Summit focused on three overarching themes:
- Cultural and Linguistic Competence (CLC) and Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion (EDI) policies, procedures, standards, and practices that are intended to improve outcomes for youth and families
- AECF’s national effort to “End the Need for Group Care” Article
- The Center for the Study of Social Policy’s (CSSP) UpEND initiative – which works to undo the carceral nature of the Child Welfare system; visit https://upendmovement.org to learn more.
As a result of a highly interactive 2-days, the group emerged with a 2022 work plan as well as individual action steps that each leader will be taking back to their respective agencies for implementation.
While the challenges the group addressed are substantial, the spirit of the summit was one of positive and hopeful energy. It marked a real shift from talking about the problems to making plans for transformational action.
Recommendations:
- Ongoing support for members of the Leaders of Color community as they work to enact their action plans within their organizations and implement the 2022 work plan
- Incorporate members of the Leaders of Color community into the planning and delivery of future summits and potential technical assistance activities
- Explore opportunities to increase family and youth voice membership in the Leaders of Color community
- Continue to partner with AECF in their “Ending the Need for Group Care” initiative and CSSP in their UpEND initiative