One year into First 5 LA’s strategic plan, groundbreaking research in the First 5 LA 2020 Indicators Report shows how close the city’s children and families are to First 5 LA’s goal of ensuring all children enter kindergarten ready to succeed. However, there are a tremendous number of assets in Black communities that still need more investment in order to reduce racial inequities.

Across indicators, Black mothers, birthing people, and children are more likely to be negatively impacted by our systems. This shows poorer outcomes on indicators such as low birthweight births, postpartum checkup rates, and preventable deaths, to name a few. Simultaneously, First 5 LA staff in departments across the organization are elevating the need to understand how systems impact Black families, especially in an era of a growing awareness of how systemic racism and anti-Blackness impact individual and public health. These staff and partners are working to pool knowledge together to address what they see in indicators and on the ground.

This brief highlights data on Black Angeleno families from the Essential Best Start Data narrative developed in a strategic partnership between First 5 LA and Catalyst California, and spotlights how First 5 LA can better understand systems’ impacts on Black families. It seeks to tell a piece of the story of each system and how First 5 LA can change each of those in pursuit of kindergarten-readiness and its desired results for Black children and their families.

 

Summary

Our systems place Black families under a significant amount of stress. Above and beyond the temporary stresses of the Covid pandemic and recession, which disproportionately impacts Black families, these families experience long-term discrimination in accessing and receiving housing and healthcare, pushout from educational systems, and criminalization from law enforcement systems. Historical racism denying Black people the ability to accumulate wealth and resources (e.g., redlining) leaves these families with less in which to combat these stressors. The impacts of these stressors and discrimination cumulatively build up and cause health issues in Black mothers, birthing people, and children, reducing life expectancies for Black people overall.

However, there are a tremendous number of assets within Black communities and with partners and funders like First 5 LA which remain largely unnoticed or untapped. Grassroots community organizing and base-building organizations continue to build power, resulting in more equitable policies and government funding. Black-led organizations and allies have shined light on racism in policing and in school pushouts and have secured or are securing additional wins. Black workers have kept the economy running through the Covid-19 pandemic with outsized impacts in essential sectors such as child care. Black individuals, like National Youth Poet Laureate and activist Amanda Gorman, have inspired a nation. For First 5 LA to attain its kindergarten-readiness goal and results for children and families, it will need to partner with leaders and allies in the Black community to understand where their resources are needed most to support existing assets and movement work.

 

Black Los Angeles by the numbers

 

To explore the data deeper, click on each census tract. You can also view if a tract is in a Best Start Geography, or visualize the Best Start Geography boundaries by clicking on the box in the top right corner of the map.

There are 820,478 Black residents in Los Angeles county. Black Angelenos predominantly live in South LA, with additional concentrations in Central Long Beach and Wilmington, and Lancaster and Palmdale.

 

Data Source: 2020 Census Redistricting Data Tables P1 and P2; Decennial Census P.L. 94-171 Redistricting Data. For this analysis, the race is defined as Black Alone or in Combination.

 

California Black children live in diverse family settings. According to the Population Reference Bureau, 44.3% of California Black children live in two-parent households, 40.5% live with a single mother, 7.3% with a single father, and 7.9% with other relatives or non-relatives. Since 1960, the numbers of children (of all races) living in non-two-parent households has increased. The percentage of children living with two parents of the same sex has also increased, including same sex households with biological, adoptive, or stepchildren.

Given the diversity of Black families, and increasing diversity and fluidity of all families, initiatives working with children and families “must take into account that both parents and children are increasingly experiencing transitions in who lives with them that may induce emotional and financial stress or raise real or perceived stigma. This changes resources for parenting as well as the kinds of issues for which adolescents need support.”

 

Our Healthcare System Produces Unequal Maternal/Child Health Outcomes for Black Families

 

Infant mortality is one of a number of indicators tracked by First 5 LA where Black family outcomes are among the lowest because of discrimination and allostatic load from the stress of systemic racism. The infant mortality rate is also rising, with Black infants being the only racial/ethnic group to experience an increase in the past few years. Recent data also shows that maternal deaths rose during the first year of the pandemic, particularly among Black and Latinx mothers.

Access to prenatal services is another critical inequality in our healthcare system. According to the Los Angeles County Health Survey, Black mothers are the most likely mothers to express interest in support services provided to new parents (both U.S.-born and foreign-born). However, we know from national studies Black women are more likely to receive delayed or no prenatal care than White women due to financial constraints, negative experiences with the healthcare system, and inadequate availability of maternity care providers and services, transportation, and child care.

 

 

 

First 5 LA is a partner within The Los Angeles County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality (AAIMM) Initiative. AAIMM is a countywide coalition dedicated to addressing disproportionately high rates of Black infant and maternal deaths and ensuring healthy and joyous births for Black Angeleno families. AAIMM addresses the Black-White infant-mortality gap through community action teams, raising awareness and implicit bias and anti-racism training, implementing the AAIMM Doula program, and more. The goal of AAIMM is to reduce the gap in Black and White infant mortality rates by thirty percent by 2023.

Additional Infant and Maternal Health Organizations to Partner with:
Black Infants & Families Los Angeles, Mighty Little Giants, Parenting for Liberation, California Department of Public Health Black Infant Health Program, March of Dimes, Project Joy, Ohana Center, Therapeutic Play Foundation, California Black Women’s Health Project, iDREAM for Racial Health Equity, Black Women for Wellness, In Due Time Coalition, Luna Sol Yoga

 

Black Mental Health Task Force Directory of Black-Led and Black Empowering Organizations in Los Angeles County which Focus on Infant and Maternal Health*: Black Infants & Families Los Angeles, Parenting Black Children, Birthing & Babies, AHMC Healthcare, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley, Happy Mama Healthy Baby Alliance, New Familia, Charles R. Drew University of Science and Medicine’s The Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence, Pacific Clinics, Mighty Little Giants, H.E.R. Doula, Elizabeth House, Nurture Collective,Black Women for Wellness, Irth App, LA Best Babies Network, Foothill Family, CinnaMoms, Healthy Bump Club

*Note: Black empowering refers to organizations which may or may not be Black-led, but have expressed a commitment to supporting Black wellness through their programs and services.

 

Racism Across Systems Further Contributes to Health Disparities through ACEs and Increases Allostatic Load

 

Black Californians are more likely to report adverse childhood experiences or ACEs, which create toxic stress in the body that can have lasting health impacts, including lower life expectancies. Learn more about ACEs here.

ACEs encompass abuse and neglect, household challenges, and other adversities such as discrimination, safety concerns, and child welfare involvement. Recent research also underscores the growing understanding of the link between discrimination and health outcomes in children and offers a weathering hypothesis: “chronic exposure to social and economic disadvantage leads to accelerated decline in physical health outcomes and could partially explain racial disparities in a wide array of health conditions.”

Black people unfortunately experience more of these stressors and are burdened with a greater allostatic load than people of other races. Allostatic load is the “accumulation of physiological perturbations as a result of repeated or chronic stressors in daily life,” which partially explains Black-White disparities in health outcomes.

 

 

Mental Health or Community Care Organizations to Partner with: GROWURPOTENTIAL, Concerned Citizens Community Involvement, Human Being Reimagined, Inc., Compound, Community Reflections, MomsHouse , Black Being, Creative Acts, Honorable Services Career Center, Support Black Theatre , The Afara Collective, Let’s Be Whole, Feed Black Futures, Special Needs Network, Community Services Unlimited, California Black Women’s Health Project, Therapeutic Play Foundation, PAC/LAC, Herald Christian Health Center, Youth With a Purpose, EmpowerTHEM Collective, Black Mental Health Task Force

Black Mental Health Task Force Created its Own Directory of Black-led and Black Empowering Organizations in Los Angeles County which Focus on Mental Health or Community Care:

PAC/LAC, Herald Christian Health Center, Ema, Alliance for Health Integration, D’Veal Family and Youth Services, California Women, Infants & Children (WIC), YWCA San Gabriel Valley, Bridges Community Treatment Services, L.A. County Department of Mental Health,  Clifford Beers Community Center, Spiritt Family Centers, Prototypes (A program of Healthright360), Loving Hands Children’s Home, Pacific Clinics, Black Infants and Families Los Angeles (Black Daddy Dialogue Social Support Group), Painted Brain, Psyches of Color, Confess Project of America, Black Infants & Families Los Angeles, Access Nonprofit Center (Parenting Black Children), Birthing & Babies, AHMC Healthcare, Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley, Happy Mama Healthy Baby Alliance, New Familia, Charles Drew University of Science and Medicine Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence, Mighty Little Giants, H.E.R. Doula, Elizabeth House, Nurture Collective, Black Women for Wellness, Irth, LA Best Babies Network, Foothill Family, CinnaMoms, Healthy Bump Club

The directory is a living document and subject to updates. The complete directory as of 09/14/2022 can be found here.

 

Black Communities are Still Living with the Consequences of Redlining

 

Black neighborhoods in Los Angeles can be directly traced to redlining in prior decades. This definition of where Black people could buy homes often placed Black residents near sources of pollution and far from healthy resources. For example, Black families in South Bay are still housed near airports or ports and have to fight for environmental justice and the right to quality health in these areas. Black neighborhoods in South L.A. are less likely to be located near parks and open spaces which provide free or affordable recreation for young children. Instead of typical, healthy resources like banks and grocery stores, many businesses prey on these neighborhoods by opening check cashing operations, subprime lenders, or fast food restaurants. Local governments have not done enough to stand up to these predatory entities and represent the health and safety of Black families.

The CalEnviroscreen (CES) score is a composite score which measures pollution and the effects and potential vulnerability of a population living within a disadvantaged community. The map below shows the census tracts which areas are pollution-burdened, defined as areas with a 75% or higher CES score. Further analysis of the relationship between the CES and race can be found here.

To explore the data further, click on each census tract on the map. You can also view the tracts with a higher Black population, or the Best Start geography boundaries, by selecting the boxes in the top right corner of the map. Higher Black population tracts are defined as census tracts with a Black population of at least 10%.

 

California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment CalEnviroScreen 4.0, Released October 2021; American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year Estimates, 2015-19.

 

Communities that were considered more desirable are also more likely to have healthier built environments overall. In addition to better air quality, these communities have higher walkability, easier access to healthy food sources, and plenty of park space. A healthy built environment promotes a higher quality  lifestyle by design, creating desirable conditions for children and families to have healthier outcomes. The effects of redlining remain evident in disparities in the built environment across communities in the county.

Food insecurity is pervasive across Los Angeles County, and even with the existence of CalFresh and other food safety net programs, data show that not all families eligible for these programs are enrolling. Unsurprisingly, the Covid pandemic has worsened this under enrollment, and disproportionately burdens families with difficulty accessing healthy and affordable food. In the latest Los Angeles Food Policy Council (LAFPC) CalFresh report, the brief explores the barriers to food access across the county and how the pandemic has impacted food security. Even with food safety net programs, it is important for there to be access to healthy food sources within a family’s neighborhood in order to promote equitable and healthier outcomes.

Access includes both geographical proximity as well as affordability of nutritious foods. Data from the California Health Information Survey (CHIS) shows the percentage of adults who report having affordable fruits and vegetables in their neighborhoods broken out by SPAs. When disaggregating by race, the data shows that with the exception of SPA 5 (West Los Angeles), all Black individuals report finding affordable fruits and vegetables at a lower rate than the total county rate. The landscape of healthy food access is integral to a neighborhood’s overall built environment.

 

Parks are another important aspect to a healthy built environment for children and families, as they promote active lifestyles and allow for more outdoor activities. The importance of green space increased during the pandemic, when outdoor spaces became the only way for children and families to safely gather. It isn’t surprising that a survey conducted by Community Coalition found the need for more park space to be a top priority among South Los Angeles residents. Using funding from First 5 LA, Community Coalition is working on a new park project in Broadway/Manchester to respond to the community need.

Access to green space for families is disparate between neighborhoods where predominantly White families live versus where families of color live. The map below shows results of a countywide parks and recreation needs assessment that was conducted in 2016. For this assessment, the need for parks was defined by analyzing five metrics:

1. How much park land is there in acres?
2. How much land is available to residents in the area and around each park?
3. What is the condition of the park?
4. How much of the population has access to parks?
5. What park amenities are available?

Areas with a high to very high park need are located in the South L.A. area, where a high concentration of Black families live, and the San Fernando Valley area. Detailed methodology for the data of this map can be found here.

To explore the data further, click on each census tract on the map. You can also view the high Black population census tracts, or the Best Start geography boundaries, by selecting the boxes in the top right corner of the map. Higher Black population tracts are defined as census tracts with a Black population of at least 10%.

 

Data Source: Los Angeles Countywide Parks and Recreation Needs Assessment (PNA), 2016.

 

Our Economic System Produces Wealth Gaps for Black Households

 

Today’s racial wealth gap is perhaps the most glaring legacy of American slavery and the violent economic dispossession that followed. Black persons who came to this county as slaves were in fact assets or part of the wealth of White slave owners and could not legally accumulate wealth. Centuries of discrimination and racism in policies since have constrained the ability of Black households to earn and build wealth, including in Los Angeles. Home ownership is one form of wealth accumulation that is disparate by race. A Race Counts analysis shows that in Los Angeles County, only 33.5% of Black households are homeowners, compared to 53.9% of White households.  

Black households earn incomes below the Real Cost Measure of living at nearly twice the rate of White households. This historical wealth gap and our current system’s inability to bridge it matters. Without an earning above the Real Cost Measure or wealth to fall back on, Black families have to make difficult choices about which foundational resources (e.g., food, child care, healthcare) to live without.

 

Workforce Development Organizations to Partner with: Los Angeles Black Worker Center, Painted Brain, Project Joy

 

Our Housing System Burdens Black Families the Most and Provides Them the Least Housing Opportunities

 

Black Californians experience the highest rates of rent burden among all racial and ethnic groups. For families to have  resources to optimize their child’s development, they need stable affordable housing. First 5 LA expert Maria Aquino notes housing referrals are one of the top types of referrals families ask for from First 5 LA, pointing to the degree of need in this area.

Housing affordability, homelessness, evictions, and housing discrimination are all factors which affect housing stability of Black families living in Los Angeles County. Over one-third of the Los Angeles County homeless population is Black even though Black individuals account for only 8% of the total county population. The high cost of housing in Los Angeles County and high rates of rent burden among Black families are likely two factors which contribute to homelessness rates. Eviction is another potential factor, with Black households living in areas with higher rates of evictions per an analysis of Eviction Lab and American Community Survey (ACS) data. Housing discrimination in the system also impacts Black families with more than 15% of Black mothers and birthing people reporting discrimination in housing in a 2015 LAMB survey. Unfortunately, Black households in Los Angeles County are more likely to be denied a mortgage or offered a subprime mortgage than White households, leading to lower Black homeownership rates and greater difficulty in securing housing as a form of wealth creation.

 

Housing or Homelessness Organizations to Partner with: Los Angeles Community Action Network

 

Our Education Systems Disproportionately Pushes out Black Children

 

For families to have high-quality early care and beyond, our education systems need to provide them with welcoming environments. How microaggressions affect parents and children in early school environments need to be assessed and understood, and early childhood learning spaces should be examined to determine whether or not they are welcoming to Black families. Education systems will also need to do more to support foster youth, low-income youth, youth with disabilities, and other youth who might need different types of support.

Black students and families cannot benefit from our education system if school administrators push them out of it. From 2020-21, 20.4% of students suspended by L.A. County school administrators are Black even though Black students comprise only 7.2% of the total student population. According to the Los Angeles County Office of Child Protection, school administrators expel Black students at higher rates than students of other races and Black youth are most likely to be disconnected to education and employment, perhaps due to these expulsions.

The high rate of suspensions among Black students with disabilities “suggest[s] that there is either gross neglect for Black students with disabilities, or a complete and total misunderstanding of students’ behaviors that requires a significant intervention.” The latter raises questions about the identification process which places a higher number of Black students in special education. Relatively low rates of Black teachers and staff working in the education systems are also likely to contribute to Black students feeling a lack of connectedness to school and influences their attendance overall.

The map below displays the Black student suspension rate by school. To explore the data further, zoom in and click on any point on the map. You can also view the Best Start geography boundaries by selecting the box in the top right corner of the map.

Data Source: California Department of Education Suspension Data, 2021-22. Schools that are closed or do not have data on Black student suspensions are excluded from this map.

Education and Youth Development Organizations to Partner with: Educating Students Together, Elite Skills Development, Positive Results Center, G.IRL, STEM to the Future, Camp Journeys, Brotherhood Crusade, Children Youth and Family Collaborative, Educate University, Islah LA, The Good Word Foundation

 

Our Law Enforcement Systems Target Black Residents

 

Police are far more likely to use force with Black residents than with residents of other races in Los Angeles County and in many Best Start geographies. Black drivers (in the city of Los Angeles) are five times more likely to be stopped and nearly nine times more likely to be arrested for traffic violations than White individuals, regardless of fault.

A recent analysis on traffic stops by Catalyst California adds more evidence to the long-known understanding of harmful policing within Black communities. The study shows police spend disproportionately more time stopping Black Angelenos, even for minor traffic violations, likely as pretexts for profiling and harassment. Similar studies of police use of force have found Black residents suffer police violence at three times the rate of all Angelenos. There are fewer Black police than the Los Angeles Black population suggests there should be. Mistrust of police compounds the issue of safety when Black adults report feeling less safe in their neighborhoods compared to other races.

To be safe from abuse, neglect, and trauma (Result 3) families need police to not target and harass them. For families to have the resources and relationships needed (Result 1) they cannot be over-incarcerated.

 

Our Criminal Justice System Over-incarcerates Black Residents

 

Our justice system in L.A. County is far more likely to incarcerate Black individuals than any other individuals of another race. The county spends far too many of our tax dollars creating “Million Dollar Hoods” incarcerating people, when it is cheaper and healthier to provide people with social services. The county spent $38 million incarcerating people from West Side South Central (a LAPD region, and predominantly Black area of Los Angeles) from 2012 to 2017.

This mass incarceration doesn’t affect individuals in a vacuum, but affects their families and children, through loss of caretakers, relationships, and income. Long-term threats include recidivism, barriers to employment, housing, or other resources that last well beyond the incarceration itself.

 

 

Incarceration negatively impacts children and families

 

According to estimates from the Vera Institute for Justice, Los Angeles County Probation Department, and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, there are an estimated 90,000 children in Los Angeles County with a parent in state prison, Los Angeles County Jail, or under Los Angeles County probation and 17,000 of these children are under the age of five. This means that roughly 1 in 20 Los Angeles County children have an incarcerated parent or parent under probation. Roughly 20,000 of these children are Black with 4,000 of them age 0-5.

Because the criminal justice system overcriminalizes Black and Brown parents, children of incarcerated parents or parents under probation are more likely to be Latinx or Black than their share of the total population. Black children consist of 22% of Los Angeles County children with an incarcerated parent or parent under probation but are only 7.5% of the total population. By contrast, White children consist of 11.6% of county children with an incarcerated parent or parent under probation and are 20.4% of the total population

This matters because separation or probation impacts the ability of parents to live with, supervise, and be attentive towards their children. For example, they are not as available to help with homework, know who their children are friends with, have a sense of how school is going for their child and what they are eating. Each of these things impact a child’s ability to succeed in school, be healthy, and otherwise thrive.

 

Representation of L.A. County Children of Incarcerated Parent or Parent Under Probation

Race/Ethnicity	Children of Incarcerated Parent or Parent Under Probation*	Total Child Population	Difference
Black	22.0%	7.5%	14.5%
Latinx	63.0%	55.7%	7.3%
NHPI	0.1%	0.2%	-0.1%
AIAN	0.1%	0.2%	-0.1%
Other	2.8%	3.3%	-0.5%
White	11.6%	20.4%	-8.8%
Asian	0.4%	12.7%	-12.3%
Total	100%	100%	0%

 

Criminal Justice Reform and Working with People Impacted by Justice System Organizations to Partner with: A New Way of Life, Inglewood Wrapping Arms Around the Community

 

Our Governments are not Representing Black Residents

Policymakers are not responsive to the needs of the Black community. ​A coalition of more than 300 organizations statewide signed a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom employing him to declare racism as a public health crisis. Governor Newsom refused to make such a declaration. The same coalition then asked the Governor to invest a very small portion of the state’s sizable budget surplus to go towards a Health Equity and Racial Justice Fund. Across two budget cycles, Governor Newsom refused to approve such an investment. A California Senator proposed legislation (SB 17) to establish a department dedicated as the California Office of Racial Equity. Today, the state has not established and has no plans to establish such an office. Anti-racism, racial justice, and racial equity have missed the agenda of the Governor’s office. The lack of representation of the Black community in government also connects to redistricting and how legislative districts are determined.

Redistricting Equity Index: Power Building Opportunities

 

A history of racist policies and state-sanctioned legal barriers to disenfranchise Black people and undermine Black political influence have made it difficult for Black Californians to translate their political interests into policy. A review of indicators analyzed by RACE COUNTS reveals that even today, Black Californians are far less likely to be elected into office than their populations suggest in city and county offices.

The redistricting process occurs once in ten years and that process shapes the boundaries of government districts, determining how representative they are of communities. The People’s Bloc created a redistricting equity index for advocates to coordinate efforts and support political districts which empower Black communities and other communities of color to pass progressive policies that benefit low-income BIPOC communities.

Individual equity indicators were combined to create an index highlighting areas where progressive-minded, low-income people of color reside. The highest index values indicate the areas with: the highest BIPOC population; the highest BIPOC Citizen Voting Age Population (CVAP); the highest disabled, immigrant and non-English speaking populations; the highest population living below the poverty line and housing cost-burdened population; the highest vote share in favor of California Proposition 15 (Schools and Communities First); the lowest eligible voter turnout; highest share of people without college degrees; the highest enrollment of migrant students in public schools; and the highest pollution-burdened.

To explore the data further, click on each census tract on the map. You can also view the Best Start geography boundaries by selecting the box in the top right corner of the map. An index score of 1 represents the lowest power-building opportunity, while 5 represents the highest power-building opportunity.

Data Source: Catalyst California 2022 update of the Redistricting Equity Index developed by the Integrated Voter Engagement (IVE) Redistricting Alliance. Note that this data is still a draft and is subject to change.

Civic Engagement and Self-determination Organizations to Partner with: YWCA of Glendale & Pasadena, The Community Action League

 

Black-led and Black-serving Organizations are Changing Things for the Better

 

Los Angeles County is home to a large number of Black-led and Black-serving organizations. The Black leaders that were instrumental in the creation of this data narrative all work at organizations that provide holistic direct services to their local communities. Their work is an example of Black community leaders supporting Black residents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Grassroots organizing and base-building organizations which focus specifically on Black power building include Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE), the Los Angeles Black Worker Center (LABWC), Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), Black Lives Matter Long Beach, and Black Lives Matter Los Angeles.

Power building research and policy advocacy organizations focusing specifically on Black power include The UCLA Black Male Institute (BMI) Black Women for Wellness, and California Black Women’s Health Project (CABWHP). Community Asset Development Re-defining Education (CADRE) is an independent, community-based, organizing, and social justice-driven parent membership organization with a core focus on the Black community.

A much larger network of power building organizations serve Black constituencies through a focus on broader communities of color, including boys and men of color.

 

Call to Action

 

This brief seeks to support existing efforts of Black community leaders and advocates to change the systemic conditions which result in disproportionate outcomes for Black families. To that end, this brief concludes with a call to action for First 5 LA and other stakeholders. Policy opportunities and follow-up questions are detailed below in hopes that stakeholders can examine their individual work and role in reducing racial disparities.

 

Policy Opportunities

 

The following policy opportunities are organized by issue area. Click on a tab below to read about policy opportunities that First 5 LA can adopt, endorse, or fund. These policy opportunities were created in collaboration with Black community advocates and leaders of Black community organizations.

 

First 5 LA Goals and Follow-Up Questions

Black community leaders are interested in First 5 LA’s role as a funder and advocate within the children age 0-5 space. This brief provides a high-level landscape of Black children and family wellness through data and narrative. The next step is to examine how First 5 LA can apply this knowledge and adopt a racial equity lens for its future work and engagement with black families and organizations. The following questions are intended to guide First 5 LA’s thinking in this direction:

• What are the root issues of discrimination? What policies are harmful to Black communities and organizations? What is the implementation strategy for Black families?
• What are the most pressing needs as identified by First 5 LA that should be prioritized when thinking about supporting Black families and children? What privileges exist in certain communities that do not exist for impacted communities?

 

Acknowledgements

The following leaders and organizations were instrumental in the creation and refinement of the Black Families Data Brief:

Nakeya T. Fields, LCSW: Founder and Executive Director, Therapeutic Play Foundation; Chair, Black Mental Health Task Force
Nicole Edun, MBA: Executive Director, Therapeutic Play Foundation
Sonya Young Aadam, CEO: California Black Women’s Health Project
Brianna Holmes, Director of Fund Development and Grants Management: California Black Women’s Health Project
Aziza Shepherd, Ed.D, LMFT, MPA: CEO and Co-founder,Ohana Center
Laresha Franks, M.S.: Senior Leader of Organizational Development and Strategic Partnerships, Black Equity Collective.

We’d also like to thank the following individuals for their collaboration in the Black Families Data Brief workgroup: Susan Burton and Brittani Gibson (A New Way of Life Reentry Project); Divinity Matovu (MBA mama); Imani Bradley (Therapeutic Play Foundation), and Kaci Patterson (Black Equity Collective).