Racial Equity

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Welcome to the Network’s Racial Equity page. Here you will be able to access articles, helpful websites, and other resources that can be utilized inside and outside of afterschool programs.

Letters from our CEO, Kelly McMahon

We Stand With You

“Dear partners and friends,

As youth workers, children look up to us to teach them right from wrong.

The death—the murder—of George Floyd is wrong. Our country’s unrelenting, inequitable treatment of people of color is wrong. The systemic racism imbedded in our society is simply wrong.

In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ Right now, everywhere the youth of New York look, they see injustice.

Many of these children already sense that the deck is stacked against them. Make sure that when in your care, every child knows that they are safe and that their voice will be heard.

As you plan your upcoming programming, I encourage you to embrace a holistic approach that includes trauma-informed practices as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion. On our DEI resource page, we also include a list of books that help facilitate conversations about race and justice with children of all ages. Share this list with parents and caregivers to encourage the continuation of these discussions at home. Discuss these resources among your staff and colleagues to better understand individual experiences, educate about the history of racial injustice in our country, and act together in solidarity.

These are not easy conversations. But they are critical. The Network always stands with you, our essential youth workers, and we are here to support your work as we once again navigate our collective grief.

In solidarity,

Kelly McMahon and the New York State Network for Youth Success Team”

The Network Responds to Attacks on the AAPI Community

A Message from Kelly Sturgis and the New York State Network for Youth Success Team:

• Shut down any anti-Chinese or anti-AAPI language, such as referring to “COVID-19” as the “China virus.”
• Step in and intervene the moment you see a child being physically or verbally harassed for their race or ethnicity.
• Lookout for—and put an immediate stop to—any shunning or isolation of AAPI youth by their peers.

Supporting youth impacted by the conflict in Israel and Gaza

We are bearing witness to a generational trauma as the war between Israel and Hamas continues to unfold. For many Jewish and Palestinian students, staff, and families in New York afterschool programs, the conflict doesn’t feel thousands of miles away. It feels like it’s at their front door.

The Network’s focus remains—as it always has—on championing safe and supportive afterschool spaces for all of New York’s youth.

As tensions mount both at home and abroad, antisemitism and anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim sentiments are ripping through our communities. Be mindful of cultural sensitivities and complex emotions. Ensure that discussions about the Israel-Hamas war are age-appropriate.

To assist you in these efforts, we have compiled a list of relevant resources. Additionally, we are exploring JEDI training sessions to help afterschool leaders navigate this space. If you have resources or a perspective that would be valuable to share with the larger afterschool community, please contact me.

Our hearts break for the innocent children who have been killed and for the youth whose sense of safety and security has been shattered. While tragedy often leaves us with more questions than answers, the Network will do whatever we can to help afterschool programs continue to be places of safety and stability.

In solidarity,

Kelly McMahon

• Statement From Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr., the Board of Regents and Commissioner Betty A. Rosa on the Impact of the Israel-Palestinian Crisis on Our Students
• The Israeli-Palestinian Crisis: Resources for Educators, Caregivers, and School Leaders
• Resources for educators: includes content from The New York Times, Education Week, National Association of School Psychologists, and the American Psychological Association.
• Resources for parents and caregivers: includes age-appropriate ways to explain the news and online safety tips.

• How to talk to your children about conflict and war: 8 tips to support and comfort your children

• How to talk to kids about the Israel-Hamas war
  • Includes a video interview with a child psychologist

• How to talk to children about the violence in Israel and Gaza
• Education resources to help people understand the basic elements of the conflict:
  • What is a kibbutz?
  • What is Hamas?
  • What is the Gaza Strip?

• Talking to Kids about the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict: Helpful Resources for Parents

• Multilingual Trauma Resources: includes tips to help children cope after a traumatic event.

New York State Equity Report

NAA is now elevating the importance of building a diverse leadership pipeline through the launch of a Professional Learning Community (PLC) in spring 2020, with grant support from the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation and in partnership with the California SchoolAge Consortium (CalSAC) and Development Without Limits (DWL). NAA also engaged Policy Studies Associates (PSA) and Public Profit as learning and research partners.

In January NAA released a report on equity across New York state. This report was researched and authored by PSA and leverages interview and survey data from Public Profit, results from a collaborative effort intended to frame efforts to embrace, support, and retain afterschool leaders of color.

Check out the full report by clicking on the link here.