Resources

Being Black is Not a Risk Factor: A Strengths-Based Look at the State of the Black Child, released in 2013, was written to provide resources, data and perspectives for challenging the prevailing harmful discourse about Black children. Focusing on the strengths, assets and resilience demonstrated by Black children, families and communities in a culturally relevant way, the report addresses the needs of policymakers, advocates, principals, teachers, and parents for shifting the conversation away from limitations and deficits.

The report is composed of three critical elements:

• Essays from experts that focus on using Black children’s, families’ and communities’ strengths to improve outcomes for Black children 
• “Points of Proof” from organizations that serve as concrete and replicable examples of places where Black children and families are succeeding, such as Great Beginnings for Black Babies, Inc., the Flamboyan Foundation Family Engagement Partnership, Smart from the Start, Inc., Border Crossers, and Northside Achievement Zone 
• Data points that indicate how Black children and families are doing across a range of measures