Anti-Racism

DDCA Anti-Racism Mission Statement:

Decoding Dyslexia CA acknowledges that dyslexia places additional burdens on families and children in communities already impacted by systemic racism. Children with dyslexia who are unidentified or do not have access to structured literacy instruction are at higher risk of school failure, damaged self-esteem, and the school-to-prison pipeline.

DDCA believes that literacy is a foundational skill and that access to evidence-based literacy instruction is a civil right. Our mission is to reverse the profound inequities faced by children in impacted communities who are struggling to read. We advocate for policies and legislation that advance access and best practices in literacy instruction. Many organizations already do great work in their communities in the areas of literacy and educational equity. Our strategy is to build partnerships, provide dyslexia education to families and educators and, where requested, advocacy and family support.

DEFINITION OF ANTI-RACISM

“The opposite of ‘racist’ isn’t ‘not racist.’ The true opposite of ‘racist’ is ‘anti-racist… racist and anti-racist are not fixed identities. We can be racist one minute and an anti-racist the next.

  •  RACIST: One who is supporting a racist policy through their actions or inaction or expressing a racist idea.
  • ANTIRACIST: One who is supporting an antiracist policy through their actions or expressing an antiracist idea.”

From “How to Be an Anti-Racist”
By Ibram X. Kendi