Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

signal status listen live donate
listen live donate signal status
listen live donate signal status
  • News
    • topics
    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • genres
    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic
    • Daily Playlist
  • Programs + Podcasts
    • news
    • Morning Edition
    • All Things Considered
    • Marketplace
    • Insight With Vicki Gonzalez
    • music
    • Acid Jazz
    • At the Opera
    • Classical Music
    • Connections
    • Excellence in Jazz
    • Hey, Listen!
    • K-ZAP on CapRadio
    • Mick Martin's Blues Party
    • Programs A-Z
    • Podcast Directory
  • Schedules
    • News
    • Music
    • ClassicalStream
    • JazzStream
    • Weekly Schedule
    • Daily Playlist
  • Community
    • Events Calendar
    • CapRadio Garden
    • CapRadio Reads
    • Ticket Giveaways
  • Support
    • Evergreen Gift
    • One-Time Gift
    • Corporate Support
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Gift
    • Legacy Gift
    • Endowment Gift
    • Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • e‑Newsletter
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Close Menu
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
  • Health Care
  •  

Sacramento Neighborhood Leaders Celebrate Progress Following Drop In Black Child Death Rates, Ask For More Support

  •  Sammy Caiola 
Wednesday, January 30, 2019 | Sacramento, CA
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio

Members of the Black Child Legacy Campaign, a county-community collaborative aimed at reducing black child deaths, brought art pieces depicting homicide victims to a county meeting Tuesday.

Sammy Caiola / Capital Public Radio

Seven art pieces featuring the faces of young homicide victims lined the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors chambers’ back wall on Tuesday. They were carried in by leaders from the seven neighborhoods where African-American children die in the largest numbers — but those trends are changing.

New data from the Sacramento County Child Death Review Team indicates that the rate of African-American child deaths was roughly 55 per 100,000 in 2016 — down 32 percent from 2015.

Previous reports from the team showed African-American children died at more than twice the rate of other groups.

The report’s authors and several county representatives suggested the dramatic shift is the result of greater investment in underserved neighborhoods and ongoing work by community groups.

“This is a hopeful and very impressive finding, and it also shows us we still need to continue to do more,” said Sheila Boxley, president of the Child Abuse Prevention Center, which analyzes all child deaths in the county to look for trends.  

She noted that 2015 was the first year that new education programs, such as expanded safe sleep classes and home visits, were fully launched.

It was also the year the county voted to commit $26 million, over a five-year period, to prevent black child deaths due to homicide, child abuse, unsafe sleep incidents and perinatal conditions. They gave grants to a coalition of community groups known as the Black Child Legacy Campaign, which is managed by a private philanthropy called the Sierra Health Foundation.

The campaign then rolled out after-school activities, parenting classes, peer support programs and more to help families at risk of losing a child.

Several young mothers stood up to recount how the campaign helped them connect with prenatal care, legal assistance and even basics such as cribs.

Kenya Fagbemi with Her Health First, a Sacramento nonprofit group that supports black mothers, said the campaign’s services have become even more crucial as the housing crisis pushes women into unfamiliar neighborhoods, where they are less likely to seek help.

“Our agency provides that transportation during those critical moments, making sure they don’t fall between the cracks,” she said. “It’s harder to navigate services if you’re not connected to someone.”

Violence prevention has also been a key strategy. Kenneth Duncan, who leads the Black Child Legacy Campaign for Oak Park, said getting teens involved in community activism gives them a greater sense of worth. Several of the youth he works with attended the supervisors’ meeting to ask for continued funding for mentorship programs and safe activities.

“We’re trying to give them full longevity of life,” Duncan said. “They’re totally bought in. We want to get them to college, to give them a normal successful life and not just see the negativity around them.”

African-American children made up a quarter of all child deaths between 2010 and 2015, despite representing just 10 to 12 percent of the county’s child population. In 2016, they made up 15 percent of all deaths. Nearly half of deaths from child abuse and neglect occurred among African-American children between 2010 and 2015. No black children died from these causes in 2016.

The county death rate for all racial groups increased slightly from 2015 to 2016, mainly do to an uptick in the natural death category. Overall child death has declined over the last decade.


Follow us for more stories like this

CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you.  As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.

Donate Today  

    Related Stories

  • Sammy Caiola

    Black Infant Death Rates Down In Sacramento Following Massive Community Efforts

    Monday, December 3, 2018
    A new report from Sacramento County’s First 5 Commission shows that rates of African-American infant deaths from birth complications and sleep incidents have dropped significantly since 2013.
  • Robert Briley provided by the Black Child Legacy Campaign

    ‘Loving Brown Babies’: How Black Families In Sacramento Talk To Their Kids About Violence

    Wednesday, July 11, 2018
    The new county-funded campaign aims to inspire hope and joy in African-American families. Parents say it’s an important assurance in light of the Stephon Clark shooting.
  • Andrew Nixon / Capital Public Radio

    Sacramento's Black Community Wants Racial Justice After Stephon Clark's Death. But This Isn’t The First Push To Save Black Lives.

    Monday, May 21, 2018
    In the wake of Stephon Clark’s death, a new conversation emerged between black residents and local government. But neighborhood leaders said they’ve been pointing out racial inequality — and the role it plays in the deaths of black youth — for years.

 Black Child Legacy CampaignMeadowview

Andrew Nixon / CapRadio

Sammy Caiola

Former Healthcare Reporter

Sammy Caiola has been covering medical breakthroughs, fitness fads and health policy in California since 2014. Before joining CapRadio, Sammy was a health reporter at The Sacramento Bee.  Read Full Bio 

 @sammycaiola Email Sammy Caiola

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More Health Care Stories

Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP

California Schools Try to Outrace Covid Outbreaks

May 27, 2022

CDC/Getty Images

Rare monkeypox outbreak in U.K., Europe and U.S.: What is it and should we worry?

May 23, 2022

Cynthia S. Goldsmith, Russell Regner/CDC via AP, File

Monkeypox case confirmed in Sacramento County

May 24, 2022

Most Viewed

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

A Sacramento County nonprofit is offering to pay $3,000 worth of bills if you test positive for COVID-19 at their clinic

California coronavirus updates: Sacramento County moves from 'low' to 'medium' COVID-19 level

Rare monkeypox outbreak in U.K., Europe and U.S.: What is it and should we worry?

We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

Most Viewed

Downtown Sacramento shooting: What we know and latest updates

U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla will appear on California’s June primary ballot twice. Here’s why.

A Sacramento County nonprofit is offering to pay $3,000 worth of bills if you test positive for COVID-19 at their clinic

California coronavirus updates: Sacramento County moves from 'low' to 'medium' COVID-19 level

Rare monkeypox outbreak in U.K., Europe and U.S.: What is it and should we worry?

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    • (916) 278-8900
    • Toll-free (877) 480-5900
    • Email Us
    • Submit a News Tip
  • Contact Us

  • About Us

    • Contact Us / Feedback
    • Coverage
    • Directions
    • Careers & Internships
    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Press
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile App
    • On Air Schedules
    • Smart Speakers
    • Playlist
    • Podcasts
    • RSS
  • Connect With Us

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2022, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.