Standing Together Against Racism
We stand together as Girl Scouts against racism, violence, and hate. We share the grief and outrage felt by the country in the wake of the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and too many others.
We cherish the diversity within our council, our communities, and our Girl Scout families. And we acknowledge the wide range of emotions and reactions we are experiencing right now: hurt, outrage, guilt, fear, confusion, and more. It is hard to know where to begin, how to help, and most importantly, how to speak with our children about what is happening.
Every person of color has a right to live their life without fear of violence and bigotry. Families of color deserve to raise their children in a world that honors their worth and values their individuality. Together we say, “We must do better.”
As Sylvia Acevedo, CEO of Girl Scouts of the USA, said, “At Girl Scouts, we seek to instill in girls the fundamental values of respect for all, inclusivity, equity, and the belief that injustice anywhere is a slight to justice everywhere. For more than 100 years, we have prepared girls to be leaders in our world, to speak up, speak out, and take action for fairness, equality, civility, and compassion for all people, and to arm them with the courage, confidence, and character they need to make our world a better place.”
Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is committed to helping our volunteers and families find the tools and resources to guide girls through these challenging times, and to help girls take steps to listen, to learn, to understand, to take action, and to make a difference. We’ve started a list of resources below, and our team is seeking out resources, ideas, and books for girls, families, and troop leaders to support and guide conversations. Expect to hear more from us on other ways to make a difference in the weeks and months ahead.
Girl Scouts face difficult situations together. We will courageously learn and explore. We will confidently challenge and change. We will advocate and act with character. We may not always get it right, but we will keep trying. With time, education, and dialogue, we can use our collective voices, talents, and power to truly make the world a better place for all.
Resources for Girls, Parents, & Troop Leaders
Here are some helpful resources as we start our journey forward. These are simply tools, not comprehensive solutions. But small steps taken together have the power to shift the momentum toward justice and equality.
- What Girl Scouts Stands For
- Helpful Resources from Girl Scouts:
- Join the YWCA Dayton’s 21-Day Challenge to discover how racial injustice and social injustice impact our community, helps us connect with one another, and helps us identify ways to dismantle racism and other forms of discrimination.
- The National Museum of African American History and Culture just released “Talking About Race,” a web portal covering eight foundational subjects.
Corrie BigBack
June 13, 2020 at 1:13 amIn fairness to racial and social injustice, I do hope that the Girl Scouts can begin to refrain from themes and terms in regards to appropriating our indigenous relations. In addition to seek to understand their place in America’s past present and future. Terminology and stereotyping can be very detrimental to people who have genetic ptsd in their DNA aswell as from trying to live in 2 worlds Often times when something bothers me in the names of camps, lodges acrivities etc, I keep silent fron fear of judgement by other moms. Often historically we are betrayed in simple minded way which is from corrupt stereotyping. As a Northern Cheyenne Scout Assitant with a daughter of our tribe also we are honored to be Girl Scouts and hope that moving forward, our race is included on gestures of recognition, cultural awareness education and respect as the Girl Scout way.