Lessons Learned One Year After the Murder of George Floyd

On the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death, a tragic moment that sparked local, national, and international attention, Big Brothers Big Sisters is taking time to remember Mr. Floyd’s legacy. But we know that one moment of reflection isn’t enough to honor the movement that arose from this time in our history.

We are committed to affirming and welcoming all people from diverse backgrounds through our actions. Over the last year, we have created new avenues to ensure our work to empower and inspire young people, is inclusive and actionable, including:

• Launch of the Race, Relationships, and Resources webinar series, which creates a convening space to hold dialogue regarding critical conversations about race
• Refresh of Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) learning and development curriculum that provides cultural awareness and humility skills
• Creation of virtual, interactive learning opportunities for our volunteer mentors to learn Social Emotional Learning strategies – rooted in equity – that build thriving relationships with our young people
• Development of our National Youth Advisory Council to ensure our young people can advise and inform our equity and empowerment work.

Our vision is one of shared values and power where people from different backgrounds, perspectives, and communities work together to form a village of caring, supportive adults surrounding each young person, and inspiring them to achieve their full potential. As a JEDI-focused youth empowerment organization, we continue to orient and share stories of our work, centered around our youth leaders, inspiring them to lead with the support of their mentors and the communities where they live.