“If you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside of yourself. Something to repair tears in your community. Something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you. That's what I think a meaningful life is - living not for oneself, but for one's community." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
 
Like countless others throughout the nation and across the globe, I was deeply disheartened to learn of the passing of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Justice Ginsburg’s passing leaves an incredible void and the loss of an important voice on the bench. It also comes at a time as our nation continues to face tremendous social and financial strain due to the pandemic, as we look to rebound from one of the highest rates of unemployment since the Great Depression, and as we reckon with the deep and ongoing struggle of structural economic and racial inequities in the form of systemic racism and disenfranchisement of Black, Latinx and Immigrant people across institutions including access to affordable housing, quality education and health, just law and fair policy.
 
As Justice Ginsburg challenged us to fight for the things we care about, we must challenge ourselves and each other to continue to do the same and to also educate ourselves, listen to one another, learn from one another, and grow with each other. We at WCAC commit to constantly be a work in progress that can recognize our own imperfections but make change to deepen our impact as an employer, as a social service provider, and as a community organization. We stand ready to continue to fight for those we serve, for our staff who work hard each day to help our community, and for the children and youth we influence each day in the classroom as caretakers and educators. 
 
I challenge us all to take the tumult of 2020 and channel it for positive change and to recognize where and how we can repair our deepest wounds, together. I hope some of the work that WCAC is doing can be an exemplar for what is possible.