On a national scale, African Americans currently comprise the highest population of people in many negative societal circumstances: Highest percentage of unemployment, highest percentage of prison populations, highest percentage of foster care, highest percentage of special education ... yet we are, and always have been, a minority population. Statistically, this is known as disproportionality.

Westchester County, despite its richness in resources, also has demonstrated levels of disproportionality.  Although African Americans comprise approximately only 15% of Westchester County's overall population, African American children comprise statistically the highest populations in Westchester County's child welfare system, juvenile justice system, special education system and criminal justice system.

Extensive new research has identified a matrix of factors that contribute to racial disproportionality. The current actual disproportionate placement of African American children into the above-mentioned systems sustains a costly structure of systemic and institutional racism.  Wiser public policy is now being developed nationally to distill more appropriate methods to reduce the harm reflected by these statistics.  Central to this improved public policy wisdom is the empirical realization that African Americans do not over-populate these systems due to African American differences in behaviors vis a vis the majority population.

One ACCORD believes that disproportional measures of African Americans within these systems can be reduced and eliminated by bringing the community together, collaborating our efforts, and changing community focus to ensure that MINORITIES become PRIORITIES.

Join us in a collaborative effort to create ONE voice that will challenge institutional racism and eliminate disproportionality ....ONE system at a time.

One ACCORD ... " United we stand, divided we F A I L."

One ACCORD is a grassroots organization created by a committed group of individuals concerned about the future and welfare of African American children. Each founding member is a professional within a system that is over-populated with minority children.  Following many years of encountering disproportionality within our professional careers, it became obvious that the need to address this dilemma is long overdue and the means to address system changes will require many, if not all, to join forces in protecting and improving the future of African American children and families.

Chapin Hall, an institution well known for its research on social issues, describes our multi-dimensional strategic approach:

"Involving in a meaningful way the families and communities as well as nonprofits, churches, and other local organizations is an essential part of addressing racial and ethnic disproportionality."

Race and Ethnic Disparity and Disproportionality in Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice: A Compendum. 2009

One ACCORD aims to develop a strong membership, creating a community alliance of members and organizations who will be innovative in their thinking, strategically creative in their advocacy, and willing to share in a vision of equity towards the future and destination of all children.

Disproportionality in Child Welfare

African American children comprise less than 15% of the general population, but are removed from their families at a rate 10 times more than the rates of white children.

As a minority population, they are over-represented in the child welfare system despite the fact that they are no more likely to abuse or neglect their children and with proven evidence that they have fewer charges for removal.

"Research confirms that African American children are reported for child abuse and neglect more often than white children, are placed in foster care at rates far greater than their proportion to the overall child population, and are denied permanent families through adoption or guardianship at far greater rates than white children.        (NANAC, 2007)

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported in 2003 that although Black children accounted for 15 percent of the total child population, they made up 25 percent of victims in substantiated cases of child maltreatment and 45 percent of children in foster care (Chibnall et al., 2003).  National studies demonstrated that there are no statistically significant differences in overall maltreatment rates between African American and Caucasian families.

Casey Family Foundation.
"The Disproportionate Representation of Children of Color in Foster Care." 2009

African American children are also less likely than children of other races to be reunited with their families. Five major studies in four states between 1990 and 1999 revealed that Caucasian children are four times more likely than African American children to be reunited with their families.  A reanalysis of national data in 2005 reconfirmed this finding explaining that race continued to be a strong predictor of reunification, even after controlling for other factors such as age of entry, parental job skills, parental substance abuse problem, and services provided to caretaker.

According to the Government Accountability Office, in a report released in July 2007,

"African American children in New York State were over-represented in foster care at a rate of more than twice their population of the state's overall child population."

As of December 31, 2009, New York State had 24,619 children in foster care. Of that, 50% where African American children placed in out of home care.

The federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) reported in 2006 that Black or African American youth accounted for 16 percent of all youth ages 10-17 in the U.S. population.  The disproportionality in the Juvenile Justice System is obvious from the following numbers.

• Black or African American youth represent 28 percent of juvenile arrests,
• Black or African American youth represent 30 percent of youth adjudicated for delinquency charges,
• Black or African American youth represent 37 percent of youth placed in secure detention,
• Black or African American youth represent 58 percent of youth sent to state prison

What happens to Black or African American youth in the juvenile justice system is a subset of the disproportionality that occurs in the criminal justice system overall.

This audio clip is an excerpt from a lecture Tim Wise delivered at Mt. Holyoke College in October 2007 in which he analyzed disproportionality in the criminal justice system.  Tim Wise has been called, "One of the most brilliant, articulate and courageous critics of white privilege in the nation."

Racial disproportionality efforts within the juvenile justice system were initiated via the Federal Government by enacting the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) in 1974.  The JJDPA, promoted several mandates inclusive of "reducing the disproportionate involvement of youth of color in the system".  In 1988, the JJDPA was revised to include a reduction in federal aid if states failed to demonstrate efforts at reducing what was then called "Disproportionate Minority Confinement (DMC)".

Currently, 22 years later, DMC is now "Disproportionate Minority Contact" and while states have established comprehensive data defining various stages of disproportionality within the juvenile justice system; they are still trying to determine effective methods of reduction. Existing knowledge about DMC is often limited to methods of identifying and understanding the disparity problem rather than reducing the problem.

The inappropriate use of secure detention is frequently identified as a principal source of racial disparity in juvenile justice.  In a report from the Correctional Association of New York, Juvenile Justice Project, 2007, African American and Latino youth under the age of 16, comprised 95% of the youth entering detention.  Hence in 2006, this same source reported that 92% of youth entering secure detention facilities were classified as juvenile delinquents and not offenders.  "The majority of youth locked up in these secure detention centers are charged with non-violent, low level offenses and do not pose any threat to public safety".

These are normal measures of disproportionality within the juvenile justice system which clearly represent systemic institutionalism and racial disproportionality.  Undoubtedly, the juvenile justice system is flawed.  It is not designed to do the job it is responsible for. Most unfortunate and at the demise of African American communities, this systemic malfunctioning continues to be tolerated following and despite of what will soon be a quarter of a century long of federally mandated enactments to reduce the over-representation of African American youth.

"We have too often settled for the sweet taste of minor success over stomaching the bitter taste of the reality that without systemic reform we are winning some battles, but largely still losing the war."

— John Jackson, CEO SCHOTT FOUNDATION

The disproportionate representation of racial and ethnic minorities in special education and the inequities in educational opportunities are among the most critical issues continuously plaguing the U.S. public school system. Large numbers of the nation's children leave school, with and without high school diplomas, barely able to read, write, and do simple math. But the failures of the schools are not evenly distributed. They fall disproportionately on students of color.

2010 Schott 50 State Report on Public Education and Black Males

Now more than ever, we must confront the reality of the situation that educating our children is a right and we must hold accountable all who engage our children. The mission of One ACCORD, is to engage policymakers, administrators, parents, special education teachers, and other stakeholders to take steps to ensure that appropriate referral and assessment procedures are solidly in place and are followed by all professionals. Despite systemic safeguards, students from racial and ethnic minority groups continue to be referred to or misidentified in special education or certain disability categories. These patterns in schools, districts or states contribute to disproportionate representation of minority students in special education.

As the demographics of our nation's schools become more racially, ethnically, and socioeconomically diverse; we must closely examine disproportionality to ensure that we create equitable learning communities for all children.

Disproportionality in Mental Health Services

Although they comprised only 15% of the U.S. population in 2001, African American children were overrepresented in specific learning disabilities (18%), mental retardation (34%), and emotional disturbance categories (28%) ...

(Office of Special Education Programs, 2005)

African American males make up a majority of the students identified as emotionally disturbed in the U.S. (Colpe) and are far more likely than their white americans or female peers to be suspended, expelled, or subjected to corporal punishment.

(National Center for Education Statistics, 2001)

African Americans of all ages are under-represented in outpatient treatment but overrepresented in inpatient treatment. Few African American children receive treatment in privately funded psychiatric hospitals, but many receive treatment in publically funded residential treatment centers for emotionally disturbed youth. African-American males living in poverty are among the least likely children and adolescents to receive mental health services in the United States, even though they are the most likely to be referred to mental health agencies for services

Minorities in treatment often receive a poorer quality of mental health care.

Minorities are underrepresented in mental health research.

More broadly, mental health care disparities may also stem from minorities' historical and present day struggles with racism and discrimination, which affect their mental health and contribute to their lower economic, social, and political status.

Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States face a social and economic environment of inequality that includes greater exposure to racism and discrimination, violence, and poverty, all of which take a toll on mental health.

Newer SSRI medications that have fewer side effects are prescribed less often to African Americans than to whites.

Even though data suggest that blacks may metabolize psychiatric medications more slowly than whites, blacks often receive higher dosages than do whites, leading to more severe side effects.

Currently, African American males lead all other race and gender groups in incarceration rates, new HIV infections, homicide deaths, poverty rates, and diagnosed learning disorders. (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006; Noguera, 2003).