Message sent to our community, June 1, 2020:

We grieve with Minneapolis and Saint Paul in the aftermath of the horrific public murder of Mr. George Floyd. We mourn for him, his loved ones, and our community. Children’s Law Center of Minnesota remains grounded in our work of advocating for children’s rights. The youth we work with have been reeling since Monday, and know all too well the system of racial disparity that exists in our community and in the foster care system.

A critical piece of our work is acknowledging the brokenness of the child welfare legal system, challenging the status quo, and disrupting the systemic racial, geographical, and socio-economic inequalities and barriers. Native American and African-American children are over-represented in a system that makes judgments and decisions based on race. We, as Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, strive for equity and work with our community to dismantle the systems that uphold racial oppression.

Our clients, 84% of whom are children of color are in crisis and need change now as they are watched and scrutinized with the highest level of attention. There are reports of young people of color being barred from local groceries, just for being brown and looking to purchase food and supplies.

CLC is committed to engaging in anti-racism work. Our clients cannot wait, and neither can we. If you are looking for resources to engage as an ally this is a good place to start, additionally this is a resource for talking about racial oppression with children.