Black Child Legacy campaign marks 10 years; county and partners report mixed gains and urge continued funding

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors received the fiscal year 2023–24 annual report for the Black Child Legacy Campaign (BCLC) and celebrated the initiative's 10th anniversary during an extended briefing and community testimony on Nov. 4.

Sierra Health Foundation managing director Shelley Jones and county partners summarized a decade of investment, community‑based programs and measured outcomes across the campaign's seven community incubator lead (CIL) neighborhoods: Arden Arcade, Del Paso Heights/North Sacramento, Foothill Farms/North Highlands, Fruit Ridge/Stockton corridor, Meadowview, Oak Park and Valley High. The board heard that the county invested approximately $13.86 million over the last decade and put roughly $8.9 million into FY23–24 efforts across participating departments.

Key program components discussed included the Culture Broker model (community‑based navigators embedded at CILs), the Safe Sleep Baby initiative distributing cribs and education, Black Mothers United and doula supports, youth mentoring and the Kings & Queens youth league, community nursing and multidisciplinary teams that colocate county staff at CIL sites. First 5 Sacramento and Sierra Health Foundation highlighted programmatic and systems changes that have been rolled into hospital discharge practices and family referrals.

Data and trends: Presenters emphasized that the campaign achieved meaningful long‑term reductions for certain causes in earlier years (for example, historically steep reductions in child abuse and neglect homicides). However, the FY2020–2022 three‑year rolling window — which includes the COVID‑era period — shows mixed trends: reductions in some categories (e.g., a 30% reduction in infant sleep‑related deaths for the period presented) but increases in other categories, notably a rise in perinatal condition deaths and a 46% increase in third‑party homicides for the 0–17 cohort within the 2020–2022 window. Speakers cautioned that pandemic disruption affected outreach and services and called for continued investment to recover and extend program reach.

Community testimony: Dozens of community leaders, CIL staff, doula trainers, program participants and young people described local impacts: reunifications facilitated by casework, doula supports, safe sleep interventions, food distribution during COVID and youth mentoring programs. The briefing included a large roster of local organizations and community speakers who urged the board to sustain and expand BCLC funding and to support an 8th CIL in Rancho Cordova to reach high‑need neighborhoods.

Board response and next steps: Supervisors praised the collaborative model and noted it as a national exemplar; they asked staff to maintain momentum and recommended continued oversight. Several supervisors pledged to help sustain funding and asked for follow‑up briefings and continued data tracking. No separate board appropriation was taken at the session; the board received the report and accepted public testimony.

Why it matters: BCLC is a decade‑long, community‑embedded public health and safety initiative that aims to reduce preventable child deaths and close racial disparities. The effort pulls together county departments, community groups and philanthropy to operate a set of place‑based services and interventions. While early gains were notable, the pandemic era demonstrated vulnerability and the need for sustained investment.

Speakers and sources: Sierra Health Foundation (Shelley Jones, Jadita Gomes), DCFAS (Kim Pearson, Shelby Boston), Probation (Dave Linden, Emmanuel Estrada), Public Health (Dr. Olivia Kasirye), First 5 Sacramento (Julie Galello), and more than two dozen community speakers and CIL representatives; event included youth testimonials.