At CDCVAS, we believe that true justice can only be achieved by confronting and dismantling the systemic oppression and racism that create barriers to access for many individuals.

Systemic oppression and racism deeply affect those we serve. Poverty, which qualifies individuals for our services, often results from these forces. This oppression manifests in unequal court treatment, high legal costs, barriers to healthcare, limited educational opportunities, unfair labor practices, widespread housing discrimination, and much more. Race and systemic oppression frequently play major roles in the hardships faced by people in poverty.

We are proud of our efforts to create pathways to justice for underrepresented communities, but we recognize there is much more to do. We are committed to being transparent about our progress, including our reflections, efforts, and struggles. Here are some key actions we have taken:

• Prioritizing Diverse Hiring: We focus on hiring staff and recruiting board members who reflect and understand our community. We ensure their voices are elevated in decision-making, making our leadership and workforce more representative and inclusive. Meet our staff and board at www.cdcvas.org.
• Language Accessibility: We provide materials in English and Spanish, offer bilingual attorney services at weekly legal clinics, and ensure interpreter access for all languages, including ASL. By hiring staff with Spanish/English skills, we maximize our ability to communicate effectively with the majority of people in our community.
• Ongoing Education and Power Building: We engage in discussions about how the justice system impacts oppressed and marginalized communities, BIPOC communities in particular. We emphasize our collective responsibility to reduce barriers, build power within these communities, and strive for greater equity and access to justice.
• Professional Development: We invest in ongoing training for our board and staff, including race equity, trauma-informed practices, leadership skills, and cultural competency, to meet the diverse needs and interests of our team and the goals of our organization.
• Strategic Planning with an Equity Focus: Our strategic planning incorporates an equity lens to ensure that all our practices, policies, and services are fair, inclusive, and supportive of the diverse experiences and cultures of our community members.
• Accessibility Goal (Work in Progress): As we develop our new space, we are actively working to remove barriers and enhance accessibility across physical, digital, and communication platforms. This includes ongoing efforts to design the facility to accommodate individuals with mobility challenges, improve our website and digital tools to be more user-friendly for those with visual, auditory, or cognitive impairments, and expand the availability of our services in various formats. Our goal is to ensure that everyone has equal and inclusive access to our programs and resources.

Our top priority is to create a pathway to justice that eliminates disparities and extends fair access to those facing significant oppression. We are committed to empowering those who have felt unheard and elevating their voices in the pursuit of justice. By building power within underrepresented communities and focusing on racial equity, we believe we can transform our justice system to be fairer and more inclusive. We are proud to see our efforts making a difference, as more people now feel comfortable seeking the help they deserve.

We invite you to join us on this journey toward anti-racism and true equity and justice. We welcome your feedback on our efforts and progress and any suggestions that help us stay accountable and grow.

Sincerely,

CDCVAS Board of Directors and Staff

Statement approved by the Board on December 11, 2024