Concerns About the Well-Being of Children and Families in our Community

by MIGUEL L. ARCE and JOSÉ P. ARCE

This is one in a series of guest opinions that will be offered by two brothers who are bringing attention to the issues of racial bias and inequity in the welfare of children and families. The guest views in these ongoing series of articles explore the well-being of children and families and identify goals and problems faced by them. As a whole the views not only describe the goals and problems but provide reflections on efforts of individuals to remedy social injustices. Solutions are offered. A central example is that the articles in the series provide an on-ramp leading to an upcoming forum/workshop conference. The conference, to be held during the spring of 2024, will be a collaborative effort bringing together public health agencies, private sector companies, professional organizations, consumer/patient advocates, and academic experts to develop strategies to keep children safe from both intentional and unintentional harm.

We grew up at a time when we were protected and supported. Our well-being was shielded by our community, our parents and each other. Our parents and citizens in general saw it as their duty to keep us safe from injury. Safeguarding children was built into values, beliefs, and daily practices. Nonetheless we experienced racial bias and inequities based in class. All the inequities imperiled our futures and all other vulnerable children. So, while these vulnerabilities existed during our youth, at present there has been a radically growing chasm between those with resources and those without. Currently, there are social policies that are especially mean-spirited denying at risk children their dignity. The solutions promoting the well-being of children and their families need to take into consideration the structural barriers including racial bias and inequity.

A manifestation of the racial bias and inequity is segregation.

On closer inspection there exists an intersection and interdependence linking structural barriers and human vulnerability. Structural barriers have an accumulated impact on individuals, youth and families. Housing in neighborhoods with high concentrations of Puerto Ricans and other Latino populations are some of the poorest neighborhoods in the United States. There is a strong correlation between residential segregation and lack of services including food, transportation, health access and other essential social rights. Residential location functions as a barrier for all the families living in those marginalized neighborhoods.

Residential segregation impacts social networks and important community interconnectivity. It is impossible to get “the foot in the door” without “appropriate” connections. Often at-risk populations don’t even know that there is a door to be kept open. Social networks are essential, but they are often impenetrable without others who are well-placed providing admission. So, where the child and family live impacts access to networks leading to employment, better education and health care and other essential resources. Because of the huge disparities that exist between “the haves and have nots” access to inner circles is difficult, if not impossible; zip code matters a great deal. Outside of ethnic enclaves that are set apart, linguistic profiling and discrimination is directed towards individuals with limited English proficiency.

Furthermore, residential segregation is a structural obstruction resistant to change. Systematic structural barriers have an accumulated impact on children, youth and families. Puerto Rican and other Latino low-income communities disproportionately lack access to essential social, political, medical and educational resources. Geographic and social isolation are telltale signs of structural barriers that make the low-income Latino and Puerto Rican communities vulnerable. Again, residential segregation undermines the quality of life and constantly wears down all living in such neighborhoods. Racism and poverty are life threatening.

Segregation is present in Springfield, Massachusetts. A study conducted by the University of Michigan found that the SSMA had the largest White-Hispanic segregation in the country in 1990, 2000 and 2010. This racial inequity is expected to persist in 2020. Children and families have the right to live a full life. By all moral standards, children ought to be treated with dignity; however, the children who live in Springfield suffer from some of the highest poverty rates. A large portion of family monthly income goes to housing, leaving fewer funds for all other needs, for instance basic food requirements. Children live in food-insecure households with no reliable access to sufficient, nutritious food. Tragically, this is a residual legacy of historically ill-informed social welfare policies. Each day, there is a long list of dreadful consequences of our inaction. Every day, children die before their first birthday with Springfield having some of the highest infant mortality rates. Every day, children are born into extreme poverty with unimaginable environmentally adverse childhood challenges. Every day, children are suspended or children drop out of school or are arrested or commit suicide. Every single, blasted day.

A call to action

As brothers, as a community, what do we do? Throwing up our hands and giving up is not an option. As brothers, as sisters, as a community we must identify and exploit opportunities in the environment and exert a locus of control over the future. One solution is to initiate a community dialogue about child welfare that would culminate in a regional forum/conference. Nevertheless, without widespread community participation the effort will be meaningless. Gathering together to share problem solving skills and processes have a multiplying effect that increase the likelihood of identifying successful interventions. Conversations among the different disciplinary and cultural backgrounds of participants, and a diversity in participatory methods will lead to better collaborative decisionmaking. This guest opinion opens one such dialogue.

There is magic for community leadership to gather with the defined purpose of improving the lot of a socially definable vulnerable group. Springfield College will host a college-community conference. An interdisciplinary team of trained academics, community leaders, elected officials, and community-based organizations will come together to assist in the identification of targeted solutions to the systemic inequity experienced by Puerto Rican and other Latino families, particularly evident at varying points through the child welfare bureaucracy. There will be opportunities for critical problem continued on page 13