RACIAL EQUITY

In August 2017, ACT Rochester, an initiative of the Rochester Area Community Foundation, released “Hard Facts: Race and Ethnicity in the Nine-County Greater Rochester Area” documenting “racial gaps [that] are stark and striking,” including:

• For almost every indicator, the status of African Americans and Latinos in the entire nine-county Rochester region significantly lags their counterparts in New York State and nationwide.
• There are substantial disparities in childhood poverty, overall poverty, academic achievement, earnings and homeownership rates between African Americans and Latinos and white populations.
• The racial disparities are wide and impact individuals and families throughout their lives and even into future generations.
• Nationally, leaders and others ponder the question of why African American incomes are only 62% those of white residents. Our challenge is even greater: In our nine-county region, the corresponding number is dramatically lower at 48%.

The report concludes “these ‘Hard Facts’ should make it impossible for anyone to ignore the profound entrenchment of structural racism throughout our region.”

To better children’s lives, racial equity and inclusion is woven in as major driver of everything we do at The Children’s Agenda, from our mission statement and strategic plan to our issue commitments like Raise the Age and bilingual education, from our policy analyses of the disproportionate impact of school climate on children or color, to our staff and Board composition. The Children’s Agenda prioritizes racial equity and inclusion both within our organization and through our advocacy and partnerships to create a future free of structural racism, inequality and exclusion.