On Tuesday, Oct. 22, multiple departments of Sacramento County presented the annual report on the Black Child Legacy Campaign to the Board of Supervisors. Photo courtesy of Sacramento County

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, CA (MPG) - In 2011, the Board of Supervisors received a report from the Child Death Review Team, revealing that Sacramento County's African American children were dying at twice, and sometimes closer to three times the rate of other races and ethnicities for over two decades. The Board and key community partners realized something had to be done to save these young lives. As a then-freshman County Supervisor, Phil Serna convened the Blue Ribbon Commission on Disproportionate African American Child Deaths​​ as part of a community-driven movement to save young lives.

Starting in 2013, the Steering Committee created the Black Child Legacy Campaign (BCLC) to bring community members, Sacramento County departments and community partners together to reduce Black/African American child deaths in Sacramento County. There has been an 18% reduction in Black/African American child deaths since the start of the Black Child Legacy Campaign.

Key partners in the effort include the Sacramento County Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services (DCFAS), the Sacramento County Department of Human Assistance, the Sacramento County Probation Department, the Sacramento County Health Services Department, First 5 Sacramento Commission (Chaired by Supervisor Serna) and Sierra Health Foundation.

“There is no one person who can do this work alone. It is a collaborative system,” said Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services Division Manager Kim Pearson.

The Black Child Legacy Campaign has identified four leading causes of African American child deaths: perinatal conditions, infant sleep-related deaths, child abuse and neglect homicides, and third-party homicides.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, multiple departments of Sacramento County presented the annual report on the Black Child Legacy Campaign to the Board of Supervisors. The report summarized what the campaign accomplished in Fiscal Year 2022 – 2023. The Black Child Legacy Campaign met three of its goals in reducing African American child deaths. There have been reductions in infant sleep-related deaths, deaths due to perinatal conditions and deaths caused by child abuse and neglect. However, in third-party homicides, there has been a 38 percent increase overall.

“Each of these numbers represents the death of a child and the parents that had to go on living after their child died,” said Sacramento County First 5 Director Julie Gallelo.

As a partner in this effort since 2011, the First 5 Sacramento Commission has funded education campaigns and direct services for the last decade. The Commission's Black Mother's United (BMU) program, operated through Her Health First, provides pregnant people with a pregnancy coach to provide one-on-one peer support, education and service navigation. The data shows the program’s efforts are lifesaving. Of the 149 mothers they served in the last fiscal year, 91% were a healthy weight at birth, 94% were delivered at full-term and there were no stillbirths. This is the fourth year in a row where no infant deaths occurred. All of those babies got to celebrate their first birthday.

Also helping new and expecting parents, the Safe Sleep Baby initiative teaches parents and guardians how to safely sleep their baby. Safe Sleep Baby is not limited to parents and guardians; grandparents, aunts and uncles and other caregivers can get involved to learn how to safely sleep a baby. Recently, Safe Sleep Baby provided 546 cribs to families in need and trained 832 parents.

Child deaths are down 18% overall from 2012-2014 and there is a 10% reduction in the disparity gap.

As part of the Black Child Legacy Campaign, partners are also focused on keeping families together, reuniting them and helping them navigate the child welfare system. The Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services uses a Cultural Broker Program that utilizes trained community liaisons to help families understand, navigate and advocate in the Child Protective Services system. Cultural brokers are embedded in the communities they serve.

Cultural brokers undergo extensive training so they understand how Child Protective Services works and what parents need to do to reunify with their children. During Tuesday’s presentation, the Department of Child, Family, and Adult Services workers shared how impactful keeping families together can be.

“I appreciate everything and am grateful. Having my kids back took a lot of stress off in my life," said one father who was reunified with his child.

While reviewing the collective efforts of Black Child Legacy Campaign gave Sacramento County leaders a chance to reflect on the great work that has been done in the community, it also showed them that there is still more action needed.

“There is always going to be work to do and we can’t rest,” said Sacramento County Supervisor Phil Serna.

You can view this year’s report at the Sacramento County website at saccounty.gov, then under the menu options, hit “Live/Visit,” click “Board of Supervisors” under “Public Meetings.” Once there, click “Board of Supervisors – Agendas & Action Summaries” and then select the Oct. 22 Board of Supervisors Meeting, where you can see the agenda, agenda packet and the action summary.

If you are interested in becoming involved with or learning more about the Black Child Legacy Campaign​, connect with your Community Incubator Lead, join the Community Leadership Roundtable or Steering Committee, or become a communication vendor.