We Call Ourselves In to Love— A Letter from our VP of Communications and Strategy
Today marks four years of sending this letter outlining the importance of advocating for all of us to show up and do the necessary work to dismantle and abolish the anti-Black, white supremacist, settler colonial, systems of oppression that lurk in every corner of this country.
This year as we celebrate another Black History Month, we continue to see deepened inequities whereby youth experiencing homelessness are disproportionately Black, Brown, and LGBTQ, and Black communities nationwide continue to be disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. We are welcoming this Black History Month amidst the backdrop of policy movements and legislative shifts that are banning books, whitewashing school curricula, increasing policing efforts while de-funding community programs, and failing to provide meaningful economic equity and support. As we navigate relentless inflation, it's hard to not feel swallowed whole by the world around us, chewed up, and spit back out as even more exhausted versions of ourselves.
The news cycles continue to call us into mourning, and while capitalism seeks to desensitize us in its never-ending effort to compel us to exist exclusively to be “better workers”, we continue to ground ourselves in our humanity, re-sensitize ourselves to the global suffering and trauma we are both experiencing and bearing witness to.
Every month is Black History Month and our commitments and actions must reflect that truth. This year we want to affirm to our community of advocates, leaders, co-conspirators, and passionate, brilliant young people that when people share their stories we must honor their experiences. Throughout 2024 and beyond, let’s all reflect on the space we take up. Let’s call ourselves in to listen deeper to the people who bravely share their lived experiences with us. Let's all maintain a vision of the world we deserve and take steps to manifest it every day. Let's honor those who care about us so much that they call us in to demand we become kinder, more thoughtful, and more community-centered.
This year, let’s let the heartbreaking realities of the world we live in actually break our hearts. Let’s invite in the grief, and the sorrow and let it move us towards more lasting, sustainable, meaningful changes. Let’s do more than listen to the people most affected by inequities, let’s prioritize responding with gratitude and leveraging our power to extend microphones and platforms. Let’s remember that “safe spaces” sometimes inhibit us from creating radical, brave spaces where equity, community, and solidarity can exist.
How do we start? How do we continue? How do we find the strength to keep going in the face of so much disappointment, so much oppression, so much unfairness and inequity? How do we fill our cups with water and pour it into our communities?
We can start by affirming young people. We can start by welcoming intergenerational solidarity and placing power and resources in the hands of young people. We can remember the uncontested truth which is that we all stand to flourish in a world that works actively and continuously to abolish and dismantle white supremacist, ableist, heterosexist, patriarchal, and exploitative systems of oppression.
Give young people money by implementing Direct Cash Transfers (DCT) and DCT-Prevention programs for youth and young adults, hire young people, celebrate and show gratitude for the Black folks who continue to lead the way, especially Queer and Trans Black elders and youth leaders. Do your part to uplift all the leaders whose groundbreaking work helps usher us into a more beautiful and better world every single day.
As we all work together to end youth homelessness, we must also ask ourselves how we can share our resources, our knowledge, and our solidarity to uplift movements that seek to eradicate poverty, abolish violent, carceral systems, and advocate for equity and liberation.
As we work towards dismantling systems and cycles that perpetuate harm rather than equity and equality, let’s start with ourselves. What can you dismantle, let go of say goodbye to today that no longer serves you in the work to end youth homelessness and uproot systems of oppression? If we can each love ourselves into becoming better advocates, allies, co-conspirators, and community members imagine what we can accomplish—what we will accomplish, together.
With love and solidarity,
Pilar Barreyro,
VP Communications & Strategy, Point Source Youth