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As our country struggles to manage a global pandemic that disproportionately impacts poor communities of color; and the Black Lives Matter movement grows stronger, fueled by seemingly never-ending acts of police brutality; and we all reflect on the extraordinary life of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis—we at the Mayor’s Office of Children & Family Success draw daily on the passion of our youth to drive change.
In the summer of 1963, John Lewis was the youngest speaker at the March on Washington. A civil rights leader, helping lead a national movement, at the age of 23. Today, young people in Baltimore and across the country are following in his footsteps, forcing us to call out the structural racism that permeates every aspect of our existence. Getting into “good trouble.”
We celebrate all young people participating in peaceful protests and bringing their voice to the critical discussion about social justice and racial inequality. We stand with them not just in times of crisis or success, but all the time.
—Tisha Edwards, Executive Director
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Our Pledge: Going the Distance |
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“To fulfill the dreams of so many—Blacks, Whites, Asian Americans, Native Americans, Latinos—we must not let those dreams and the hopes of so many be abandoned or die. In spite of all of the progress that was made—and we’ve made progress, we’ve come a distance—we still have a distance to go.”
—U.S. Rep. John Lewis
We pledge to go that distance—joined by our partners, led by our youth, powered by love.
This summer, we launched GO THE DISTANCE BMORE!, a campaign to inspire, encourage and support Baltimore’s young people as we continue to transition into our new, virtual normal and our youth continue to lead our city’s fight for what is right and what is just.
The campaign:
- Curates across a broad partner network and promotes activities, events, resources and opportunities for youth spanning four focus areas, or pillars: learning & enrichment, health & wellness, culture & creativity and civic engagement & racial equity
- Encourages young people through inspiring messages and youth-centered stories
The strength of #gothedistancebmore rests with our five Youth Champions who are informing and helping design it—thank you Francisco, Deanna, Devine, AI and Nell!—and our dozens of partners who work daily to lift up our youth and whose program offerings are the heart and soul of the campaign.
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@bmorechildren | #loveoverfear
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Copyright © 2020 City of Baltimore All Rights Reserved. |
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