Black Lives Matter

Dear Friends of Friends:

The American voters have spoken and I’m hopeful about the future of our country and of the children we serve at Friends of the Children. Like Dr. King and President Obama, I believe that the arc of history is bending toward justice. We just elected a Black and South Asian woman as our vice president. The Black Lives Matter movement has attracted incredibly broad support, as have recent criminal law reforms. Here in San Francisco, our Mayor has proven that, with the right support, a Black woman raised in public housing can succeed.

But social progress is rarely as rapid or as steady as we would like. The families we serve are still struggling to overcome the barriers created by 400 years of systemic racism. And the COVID pandemic is only making things worse, widening the achievement gap between our children and their wealthier peers and exacerbating the economic chasm between our families and the rest of the Bay Area.

So, until the day when systemic racism has been eradicated, we will remain committed to providing a Professional Mentor to walk beside each child in our program for 12+ years, no matter what!