At the Oregon Social Learning Center and our affiliated organization OSLC Developments Inc., we stand in solidarity with the Black community. We recognize the long history of racial bias in science. We cannot complete our mission of strengthening children, adolescents, families, and communities without addressing racism within our organization and within research in general.

The deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor and the resulting wave of protests have highlighted the years of oppression and similar deaths that have occurred, that largely have gone unnoticed. We also must recognize microaggressions toward the Black community that we as an organization previously have not noticed. We have gone too long without reflection, and we must change. We recognize several blind spots in our past efforts that we will take immediate action to rectify. This will include creating an organization-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement and action plan. Further, our Board of Directors currently lacks representation from the Black community and we will work for this to change. In addition to these immediate actions, we will continue to identify and take concrete steps to promote diversity, equity, and anti-racism both within our organizations and throughout the communities in which we work.

We recognize that a statement given when all eyes are on an issue is ultimately just words. Change is made through thoughtful, informed, intentional, and lasting action. We are committed to working in collaboration with public service systems, schools, communities, and agencies to build an equitable and just world through the use of evidence-based practices that promote healthy development and family functioning. We will hold ourselves accountable for following through with action, and we welcome input from our community members. Together, we will do better.

Find more information about our work to improve diversity, equity and inclusion.