Friends,

We send you our thoughts and support in what we know is a very difficult time. As a collective of organizations working to end the marginalization of girls and gender expansive young people, we know that many of you are far too familiar with the devastating impacts of and systemic oppression on communities of color, particularly the Black community. Let us make very clear that Girls at the Margin National Alliance (G@TM) supports the movement for equity and justice for and the recognition that ALL Black lives matter, including the lives of Black women and girls, Black trans people and Black people with disabilities. We lift up the names of Breonna Taylor, , Ahmaud Arbery, Oluwatoyin “Toyin” Salau, Na'kia Crawford, Riah Milton, Dominique “Rem’mie” Fells and Rayshard Brooks and call for justice on their behalf along with numerous others whose lives were unjustly cut short by actors empowered by systemic oppression and other societal power imbalances. We also call for the protection and support of people like --a teen girl who witnessed George Floyd’s murder and has since experienced harassment--who are still living but forced to face the daily repercussions of violence.

We remain committed to centering the needs of marginalized young people who are also harmed by violence and other manifestations of our nation’s deeply rooted systems of oppression. Currently, as many of our young people are organizing and participating in across the U.S., they are forced into making the difficult and unfair choice of risking their health in a pandemic - and by extension the health of their families and communities - to fight for their safety against oppression and violence. Though focus on COVID-19 has decreased, the health crisis continues to pose a danger, particularly to young people of color and their families who are disproportionately harmed by this illness and its impacts. As such, it is critical that we address the many forms of marginalization experienced by girls and gender-expansive young people on all fronts, including those stemming from the ongoing pandemic.

To assist in this effort G@TM has created this resource uplifting the struggles faced by girls and gender-expansive young people due to the current health crisis and recommendations to address those challenges. This brief is informed by input from our partners, as reflective of girls’ experiences in March and April, and is intended to be a living document. We welcome feedback on new or changing needs and recommendations so that the document may evolve to reflect the emerging needs of these young people and those that work with them. As we all witnessed, when COVID-19 first struck the U.S., the needs of young people, particularly marginalized young people were overlooked. As a result, not only did their needs largely go unmet, some efforts actually exacerbated the existing harms they faced. Given that the health crisis persists, and there are likely to be additional waves in the future, it is essential that we continue to respond to the pandemic including making plans for the future so that girls and gender expansive young people get the care and support they deserve.

Finally, as our and your organizations continue the much needed work of providing services to, and advocating on behalf of, marginalized girls and gender expansive young people, we encourage leadership at these organizations--particularly those led by non-black POC and by white people--to interrogate internal policies, practices and infrastructures to critically assess whether these proactively and effectively create and promote equity as well as whether they perpetuate anti-blackness and reinforce other forms of oppression. Further, this examination should consider impacts on both employees and other contributors to the work, and on the provision of services and engagement in advocacy. Here are a couple of resources that may be of assistance. We have also identified additional resources that we are happy to share if they are of interest. Likewise, please let us know if you have any tools, guides or practices that your organization has found helpful. We look forward to supporting each other in this critical work.

In community and solidarity, G@TM Steering Committee