10 Years of Black Child Legacy Campaign

This year marks a decade since the start of the Black Child Legacy Campaign (BCLC). BCLC is the community-driven movement established following the call for a Blue-Ribbon Commission from County Board of Supervisor Phil Serna to address the disturbing outcome data that found that Black children die at twice the rate of any other population in Sacramento Community.

The Steering Committee on the Reduction of African American Child Deaths (RAACD) was one of the key strategy recommendations adopted and is working to reduce deaths of African American/Black children. The four leading causes of death are perinatal conditions, infant sleep related, child abuse and neglect, and third-party homicides.

Through community partnerships, local leadership, and community action and voices, Sacramento County has been dedicated over the past ten years to change outcomes and reduce the number of African American/Black childhood deaths. The RAACD is funded by Sacramento County, the City of Sacramento and First 5 Sacramento. 

In 2015, a priority goal was set to reduce these deaths by 10-20% by 2020, a 5-year goal that was not only met but exceeded. By working together as a community driven public and government partnership, the effort has helped reduce African American/Black child deaths by 27%.  

The campaign’s key initiatives have included:

• Increasing public awareness
• Providing trauma-informed services and support
• Empowering community members
• Advocating for and making policy changes, and
• Utilizing data-driven decision-making.

Seven neighborhoods in Sacramento County, Arden-Arcade, Del Paso Heights/North Sacramento, Foothill Farms/North Highlands, Fruitridge/Stockton Boulevard, and Meadowview, have been identified as having the highest numbers of African American child deaths. The Black Child Legacy Campaign has put a Community Incubator Lead (CIL) organization in each of the identified neighborhoods. The CILs provide crisis intervention, connect families to needed resources and provide prevention and early intervention services to reduce African American/Black child deaths. In addition, each site has County staff from the Department of Child Family and Adult Services (DCFAS), Probation and the Department of Human Assistance (DHA) assigned to co-serve families.

“The most critical understanding in this partnership is acknowledging that community has the expertise, knowledge, and skill to provide solutions and drive change,” said Kim Pearson, a DCFAS Division Manager and Steering Committee member. “In amplifying the voices of impacted communities, solutions are far more sustainable and aligned to the needs.”

While the numbers show a reduction in deaths, for those who are part of BCLC, the work is about much more than numbers. Sacramento County acknowledges that these numbers represent children’s lives and the families who are impacted by these terrible losses. Sacramento County stands by its commitment through BCLC to prevent Black Child deaths and to continue to better serve all community members.

As we look back on the lessons learned and families served over the last ten years, Sacramento County also looks forward to the shared commitment to do better over the next ten years and come to a time when disparities among populations no longer exist.

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