GaFCP—Recommitting to Doing Our Part

June 5, 2020 Print This Post

Georgia Family Connection Partnership (GaFCP) stands with the world as we remember Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many other victims of racialized violence. This most recent evidence of centuries of racial injustice has stirred the hearts of many who—despite the fears of a still-present risk from COVID-19—have gathered to assert the most fundamental principles of our nation: liberty and justice for all.

We share these thoughts, along with those of so many partners and colleagues, to confirm that our longstanding commitment to the health and well-being of all Georgians requires us to do even more to address inequities and disparities resulting from systemic racism that limits the potential of all our children. Our systems, from education, to health care, to child welfare, and beyond, need to include, support, and serve all of Georgia’s children—not some of Georgia’s children.

In December 2016 we at GaFCP committed to our race, equity, and inclusion work because we realized we could not effectively advocate for systems changes to promote the well-being of Georgia’s children and families if we did not address systemic racism. We will continue to strengthen our efforts to work within ourselves, within our organization, and as an organization to address societal inequities and institutionalized racism through all our work.

Our Georgia Family Connection statewide network is one of strength, resilience, and vision—and we look forward to the opportunities to come together, support each other, and help all our communities become places of equity and opportunity. We all know there is much work to be done. That’s not news. But now is the time to recommit to doing our part in confronting racial and ethnic disparities.

When the cameras have turned off and the news cycle has shifted, we will still be working on the root causes of this national tragedy and continue to strengthen our collective efforts and, to invoke Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. From the personal changes within ourselves to systems changes that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, we must hold ourselves, our peers, and our colleagues accountable—at all times.