Prevent Child Abuse America’s Dr. Melissa Merrick Issues a Statement on the Impact on Racism on Children & Families
For the last several days, emotions that have run high for generations have clearly reached a boiling point, here in Chicago and throughout the country. The understandable outrage, profound sadness, and deafening demands for change stemming from the death of George Floyd and countless others before him are feelings that we at Prevent Child Abuse America share. For those who grieve, we grieve with you.
We remain steadfast in our mission—to prevent the abuse and neglect of our nation’s children—and we continue to envision a world where all children grow up happy, healthy, and prepared to succeed in supportive families and communities. To do this effectively, we focus on a comprehensive approach, proactively creating the conditions for thriving children and families. To be truly successful, we must actively dismantle the root causes of stress and anxiety that can lead to child abuse, including systemic, structural racism and discrimination. Research consistently highlights the disproportionate exposure and effects of trauma and adversity within communities of color, but too many of our policies and systems produce, rather than. eliminate, such disparities. We know that we can do better, and that most Americans want every child to grow up feeling secure.
We cannot tackle these issues single handedly—no one can—but neither can we sit idly by and allow our children, families, and communities to suffer. At moments like this, it is more important than ever for us to stand together to advocate for racial justice and equity. To do so, we rely on strong partnerships—with our nationwide network of state chapters and Healthy Families America affiliates, with external collaborators at the local, state, and federal levels, and with leaders in the business and civic communities. We all have a role to play in creating a better future for every child, regardless of the color of their skin.
We call upon everyone in our network to take action and support those affected by this time of unrest—in whatever ways you can—to continue to educate and spread awareness in your communities, and to work together to protect children from the effects of systemic racism. At Prevent Child Abuse America, we are deeply committed to reforming the systems that have jeopardized the safety of our children as a byproduct of the persistent racial inequities they produce and exacerbate.
Together, we CAN prevent child abuse, America—because childhood lasts a lifetime.
About Melissa T. Merrick, PhD
Melissa T. Merrick, PhD, is President and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, the nation’s oldest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. She has nearly 20 years of clinical, research, and leadership experience related to the etiology, course, and prevention of child abuse and neglect.
Previously, Dr. Merrick was a senior epidemiologist at the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in Atlanta, and served on a detail in the Office of the Commissioner at the Children’s Bureau in the Administration for Children and Families. In partnership with the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Abuse and Neglect, she served as the lead scientist for the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) study at CDC for 8 years. Dr. Merrick successfully leverages her clinical and research experiences to communicate and disseminate the critical public health importance of preventing early adversity to key stakeholders with diverse priorities, backgrounds, and knowledge, including legislators, business and civic leaders, and members of the academic and medical communities.
About Prevent Child Abuse America
Founded in 1972, Prevent Child Abuse America is the nation’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the primary prevention of child abuse and neglect. With chapters in 48 states and nearly 600 Healthy Families America home visiting sites throughout the country, it promotes services that improve child well-being and develops programs that help to prevent all types of abuse and neglect—before they begin. Prevent Child Abuse America is rated as one of the top charities for children by Consumer Reports and numerous charity oversight organizations, including Charity Navigator, GreatNonprofits and GuideStar. Visit their website here to learn more.
