Dear Head Start/Early Head Start Family:
The Illinois Head Start Association (IHSA) stands with persons and communities of color. The last few weeks and months have been profoundly challenging, and illuminated clearly the need for change in the way our country engages with and supports families and communities of color. This injustice, as well as the disproportionate effect of COVID-19 on communities of color has been a reminder that our country has a deep history of systemic racism – one that puts more value on White lives than Black or Brown lives.
The Head Start program was born during another time of extreme racial strife in this country. As we know, Head Start is strongly rooted in the belief of the importance of civil rights and equity for all people. Head Start/Early Head Start serves children and families without regard to race, creed or ethnicity. In the recent Childcare Exchange essential article (attached or follow this link) “Our Children, Our Workforce: Why We Must Talk About Race and Racism in Early Childhood Education,” authors Kelly Matthews and Ijumaa Jordan take a clear look at racism in ECE and suggest concrete actions we can take to support each other in our work toward justice.
“Once we start working to end harm, we can begin creating a more just world and a more vibrant ECE system. Racism hurts everyone, though it does not hurt us all equally or in the same ways. We live diminished lives when structures are in place that keeps us from thriving. When we work actively to dismantle racism, we begin to create environments that support healthy racial identity for all children. When we start dismantling racism in ECE settings, we can also begin to support the adults in the programs. By creating strong, healthy models of representation and leadership, our programs thrive.”
We know there is no easy solution to the problems we have faced for centuries. We also know that we need to devote our time, energy and resources toward making a difference. Many have written beautiful statements or letters but these are just words. What we need is action! In the days and months ahead, IHSA will be laser focused on how systemic inequities impact the policies and practices intended to help children and families flourish. IHSA will do the following actions over the next day, weeks and months.
Together in this work and these commitments, we will continue the fight toward a more equitable and just society. We hope you’ll join us. We can and must do better.
In solidarity and love,
Lauri Morrison-Frichtl
Implicit Bias resources for in-service training in programs
Books
Videos
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