“He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

IVYP is a diverse community. We honor our differences.

These words by Martin Luther King Jr. inspire us to speak out against racism in all its forms. This week anger and frustration sparked by the murder of George Floyd has ignited cities across America. We cannot be silent.

We are a team of educators and family advocates who are outraged and heartbroken. The children and families we serve are Mexican, African-American, Indian, Saudi Arabian, Chinese, Korean, Guatemalan, Honduran and Caucasian. We see color. We see race. We see injustice and bigotry. We see kindness and solidarity. We believe that by building relationships in a diverse community, by sharing our stories and honoring each of our cultures and histories, we are working to break down the barriers of systemic racism that have infected our country.

COMMUNITY MATTERS

During moments of national crisis, we draw comfort from our community. The trusted relationships we have built help us feel that we are all in this together. But, we are deeply aware of the profound inequalities that underlie our society. The public health and economic crises are hitting our poor, our brown, and our black communities disproportionately hard. And, the persistent problem of racial violence requires a response.

Isla Vista Youth Projects mitigates the effects of poverty, racism, and trauma by providing high-quality, trauma-informed child care, comprehensive, culturally-sensitive family support, and visionary community leadership. We will not be silent in the face of injustice. We will tell our stories. We will listen. We will acknowledge and question our own internalized racism. We will question our assumptions. We will continue our work that is ultimately the only permanent antidote to hate – creating authentic, trusting, real relationships that cross boundaries.

Now is the time for courage. We must not be afraid to speak from the heart to our children, to our students and to one another.

This statement represents the voices of our staff leadership:

Laura Costilla
Shaylie Foley
Lori Goodman
Elizabeth Hahn
Azucena Lopez
Ana Maya
Lucia Perez
Juan Pimentel
Juan Quesada
Jose Real
Diana Rosales
Elizabeth Padilla
Franky Viveros

Executive Director, Isla Vista Youth Projects