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February 28, 2023

Black History Month

On the last official day of Black History and Culture Month, Friends of the Children-SF Bay Area wishes to celebrate Black history and culture today, this month, and year-round. This year’s theme, “Black Resistance,” recognizes the resisted historic and ongoing oppression, in all forms.

At Friends of the Children-SF Bay Area, we will continue to disrupt oppressive systems and push for transformational change that is grounded in anti-racist systems. We understand that systemic oppression is a root cause in the adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that the children we serve face. We pair each youth with a professional mentor for 12+ years, providing them with consistent adult support to empower them as they work through trauma and to instill in them hope and self determination as they write their own stories of resilience and joy.

Friends of the Children-SF Bay Area celebrates the stories, contributions, resistance, and humanity of Black people today and every day.



February 26, 2022

Friends-SF is proud to honor Black History this month and every month. The Black History theme for 2022 – Black Health and Wellness – honors the contributions made by Black practitioners to Western medicine and to other forms of healing practiced throughout the African Diaspora. That theme is especially timely during the COVID pandemic, which has disproportionately affected Black communities and health care professionals.

At Friends of the Children – SF Bay Area, we understand that adverse childhood experience (ACE's) like generational poverty and institutional racism often have lifelong effects on a child’s emotional and physical health. We pair each youth with a professional mentor for 12+ years, providing them with the type of consistent adult support that has been shown to be the best antidote to such trauma.

Thank you all for partnering with us as we walk beside our youth, helping them to overcome huge systemic barriers, on their way to healthier, more fulfilling lives.



February 16, 2021

Join us in celebrating Black History Month by recognizing the histories and amplifying the voices of Black leaders, inventors, activists, artists, freedom fighters, speakers, and thinkers whose courage and excellence helped pave the way to a brighter future for our youth and the world.

Honoring Black history, and its impacts, is particularly poignant during this historical moment. In 2020, we witnessed a global unveiling of the very current and deeply pervasive realities of racial injustice. And in response, millions of people from all over the world took to the streets to proudly affirm Black Lives Matter.

Though the road ahead in the fight for social justice is long, Friends-SF remains committed and will continue to do the difficult work of dismantling the overt and subtle legacies of oppression. Setting up a standard of equity from the inside out, we are taking action to ensure we are standing up for our staff of color and the children and families we serve. Until all our youth can look forward to a dignified future. One where equality is not elusive.


Here are a few meaningful ways to celebrate Black History:

A few things to keep in mind when supporting a generation to endure and overcome the difficult obstacles that remain in fight for justice*:

As we honor and celebrate Black History Month, keep this in mind — we often hear that children are our future, but they’re also our present. Let’s continue to guide them, protect them, and equip them so that they can march on and build an equitable future for all.

*Adopted from a statement released by Benjamin Carlton, Chief Equity officer at Friends of the Children.