To the Five Keys Community:
As people across the nation are hurting from a trio of concurring tragedies — social unrest, the pandemic and the economic crisis, we’ve all had a lot to process.
Sadly, the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and far too many others, as well as the justified anger and fury and ensuing protests, speak to the racism that has plagued this country in the same way it has perpetually defined the everyday realities of individuals who face intolerance, discrimination and marginalization.
Our work at Five Keys is based on our commitment to the concept that every individual is entitled to participate in and have access to the benefits of our society. We focus on education, and the larger protections of social justice.
As the nation pivots from mourning to celebrating the life of George Floyd, our community of Five Keys staff must take a critical look inward to make sure we, as an agency for social justice change, are reflective in our actions and personnel of the societal change we want to see.
In the face of this adversity, we’ve amped up our efforts to be on the front lines of this pain. During this chaos, Five Keys is committed to staying on course and continues to stay connected to and serve society’s most vulnerable. All of these heartbreaking circumstances are a reminder that we are not in complete control. But it must remind us how important what we do is, and to continue taking action.
In the words of Clarece Weinraub, Ed.D., Area Superintendent SoCal, “There has been a lot of conversation on the national stage about equity, bias, and systematic racism and it’s a perfect time to learn more about how education plays into the system and hopefully challenge ourselves to be the change. I would encourage everyone to spend this time thinking about how your daily interactions are influenced by your background and exploring what biases you might have, naming them and making a plan with yourself on how you are going to address them. No matter what work you have done to make sure you are not part of the problem, you have to continue working and checking yourself and the work is never done. I think that is true for all of us, no matter our race or background.”
Our collective vulnerability is asking us, “What is truly important?”
With Five Keys committed to getting people’s lives back on track – behind the walls of 23 county jails, in neighborhood social justice mission centers in economically isolated communities, navigation centers for the unsheltered homeless, and more than 100 sites, we are dedicated to staying the course of our mission. Since 2003, we have been blazing a trail of transformation for more than 20,000 Californians without a day of interruption — and we are not about to stop in the face of a pandemic, or anything else.
In the midst of this uncertainty, we have good news and some major challenges. Our work with the homeless is growing rapidly. With the opening of our sixth Navigation Center on June 8, we will be hiring another 50 people working at the Bayshore and Embarcadero SAFE centers, three hotels, and the Moscone Center. Five Keys now has 700+ employees.
We are also faced with the challenges of budget cuts. The Legislature is considering a State Budget proposal that would prevent 1,000 students from earning a high school diploma. Please sign our petition and stand with us to keep students in County Jails from losing their diploma programs at www.fivekeys.org.
Despite the challenges, we are committed to staying the course and finding creative ways to provide opportunities that will change the trajectory of lives.
If you are reading this, you are part of the Five Keys community. Whether a donor, or partner, student, staff member, teacher, navigation center worker, volunteer, or friend, please know that you matter – you are important to us. We are thinking about you. Stay safe, take care of yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. We are not just a face on a computer or a voice on the phone, we are people who care and are with you even when we are not. We will be back together again soon. Until then, we are united and preparing for a better, brighter future together.
Thank you for all you do,
Steve Good
Executive Director
P.S. With all the craziness in the world right now, Britt Creech, activities coordinator at Embarcadero SAFE Navigation Center shared how guests and staff there have turned a garden into a getaway for the mind in chaotic times. Here we invite you to pause as we share the beautiful photos that show what gardeners know, that working with the soil is a way to connect with nature and help take away worries, at least temporarily.