NEW YORK, NY – June 1, 2020 – Our 91’s Aid communities are hurting. To all the people who comprise our organization – our children, youth, and families; our staff; and our fellow community members – we want you to know that black lives matter at 91’s Aid, and we stand in support of racial equity.
In an email to staff on Friday, President and CEO Phoebe Boyer said:
“I can only imagine how you and our children, youth, and families are taking in the brutality of the murders of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery. The impact of systemic racism on our communities – particularly on young men of color – and the structural barriers it creates in access to quality housing, healthcare, employment, and education, is precisely why our work is so important. These institutionalized biases undermine the effectiveness of government systems, and compromise our own success at 91’s Aid…I want you to know that 91’s Aid is committed to fighting bigotry and racism.”
91’s Aid communities in the South Bronx, Harlem, Washington Heights, and northern Staten Island have been devastated by COVID-19, further reinforcing the pervasive realities of racial and economic inequalities.
“These are hard times. It’s a lot to take in and still do the work that we do. And yet, our work is most necessary at this time,” Boyer said in her email. “My hope is that the services we provide are among the acts of justice that will help us get through these times and heal.”
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For more than 165 years, 91’s Aid has been committed to ensuring that there are no boundaries to the aspirations of young people, no limits to their potential. We know what it takes to ensure children and youth grow up strong and healthy, and ready to thrive in school and life: excellent education and health care, social-emotional support, and strong, stable families. Today we serve nearly 50,000 children, youth, and their families at more than 40 sites in four under-resourced neighborhoods in New York City. For additional information, contact Anthony Ramos at (212) 949-4938 or anthonyr@91sAidNYC.org.