The murder of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man, was the turning point of widespread and ongoing outrage regarding police violence against Black people in this country. Protests arose all over the globe bringing awareness to police brutality and the numerous murders of unarmed Black citizens in the United States. This and other overt displays of racism also served as the genesis of Actions Against Racism. Dr. Kira Branch shared in the global outrage at the continuous killings of unarmed Black people. As a psychologist charged with serving children and families, Dr. Branch knew she had to act. Dr. Branch formed a working group consisting of associates across the enterprise of Nemour’s Children’s Health (Delaware Valley and Florida) to develop tools to help children and families cope and heal from racialized stress and trauma. The Actions Against Racism leadership team was formed by the end of 2020, consisting of Dr. Kira Branch (Clinical Director), Dr. Danielle Hatchimonji (Research Director), and Dr. Danika Perry (Director of Community Partnerships).

In early 2021, Drs. Branch, Perry, and Hatchimonji were approached by the Nemours Office of Community Engagement to support a local charter school in their endeavors to provide anti-racist, trauma-informed services to their school community. They recognized that it was essential to partner with school systems, one of the most influential and impactful systems when considering the well-being of children and adolescents. This led to the development of Actions Against Racism as a multi-tiered, school-based intervention to build capacity for combatting racism in educators, students, and families. This intervention combines evidence-based interventions including trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy, transformative social-emotional learning, racial socialization, and anti-racist efforts. To date, Actions Against Racism has focused on school staff trainings targeting five actions:

1. Talking About Racism

2. Recognizing Racism

3. Disrupting Racism

4. Coping with Racism

5. Healing and Repairing Harm from Racism

Actions Against Racism intervention development is ongoing, incorporating feedback from multiple sources to ensure the intervention is feasible and meets the needs of different school systems. The Actions Against Racism Leadership team piloted school staff trainings in the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years. Since 2022, we have partnered with the Delaware Department of Education to explore the landscape of equitable practices and to learn from and support educators dedicated to these efforts.

Since its inception, Actions Against Racism has formed many connections that fuel its continued growth. Collaborators from University of Delaware (Tia Barnes, PhD & Melissa Stoffers), Delaware State University (Kim Graham, MA), Delaware Department of Education (Monique Martin, Equity Leads, and Educator taskforce members), and Wellstar Health (Monique McKenny, MEd, PhD). Our financial supporters include Nemours Office of Community Engagement, Nemours Biomedical Research, the Nemours-based Research Expanding Access to Child Health (REACH) Center, the REACH PROMISE and IMPACT Cores, and Delaware Department of Education Workforce Diversification projects. 

The AAR team is committed to continued intentional action to dismantle systemic oppression in both education and health systems and to support racial healing in the communities we serve. Onward in Action!