As providers of behavioral health and public transportation services, the staff of Family Recovery Services, FRS Transportation, and South Central Ohio Transit is especially mindful of the disparities and discrimination against African Americans, marginalized, underserved, and underrepresented individuals in our society.  We acknowledge that racism is systemic, and we believe that the disparate violence and disregard for human life and dignity against people of color is unacceptable.  The death of George Floyd and innumerable others along with our world’s reaction to the recent deaths highlight the shameful reality that, for far too long, the injustices and inequities endured by our fellow citizens, our peers and our friends have gone unheard and unheeded.  What must be new is our commitment to do more than listen. 

 

In addition to reaffirming our commitment to racial equality and justice, we are also taking action to identify and implement meaningful, sustainable change in our service environment.  As a behavioral health provider agency, we have a commitment to hiring, keeping, and promoting a diverse workforce; however, we also realize that these general commitments are not enough and our work on examining our own practices has already begun. 

 

In our field, we know that recovery does not happen on good intentions alone.  Meaningful, measurable, and sustainable change requires a commitment to breaking down harmful and hurtful thoughts, acknowledging our own biases and behaviors and working daily on reforming oneself.  Understanding that we do not have the overall solution or remedy to the problems we face, we commit to that same hard but critically important work to eradicate racism and bias in our agencies, in our communities and in our world.