SCO Family of Services Honored for Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

SCO Family of Services, a leading provider of essential human services in communities throughout New York City and Long Island, was honored by ERASE Racism at their Annual Benefit on November 17th. SCO received the Leadership Award in recognition of the organization’s strategic commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).

Under the leadership of President and CEO Keith M. Little, SCO launched its DEI initiative in 2017 to engage leaders and staff at all levels of the agency’s workforce of 3,800.

As part of this initiative, SCO instituted a mandatory two-day anti-racism training program for the entire leadership team in order to begin to recognize and address the pervasiveness of structural racism. This includes the support of SCO’s Board of Directors. SCO offers anti-racism training and ongoing implicit bias courses to all staff, and encourages employees to participate in agency-sponsored workshops and forums.

Early on, SCO created an anti-racism steering committee made up of SCO employees. The Committee Advocating Racial Equity (CARE) has focused their efforts on staff education and exposure and collaborating with other community-based organizations like the Jewish Board and ERASE Racism. Additionally, CARE hosts a series of workshops fostering courageous conversations about race and racial issues at SCO and in the communities they serve.

ERASE Racism’s Annual Benefit highlighted their work and honored leaders who are making a difference in the fight for racial equity. The theme of the event was “Join the Movement for a Just Long Island,” a clear reminder that together we can create a Long Island that is not divided by race. ERASE Racism leads public policy advocacy campaigns and related initiatives to promote racial equity in areas such as housing, public school education, and community development.

ERASE Racism Annual Benefit Honorees:

Abraham Krasnoff Courage and Commitment Award Honorees:
Roger Tilles – Philanthropist and New York State Regent for Long Island
Newsday Media Group – “Long Island Divided”: Exposing Widespread Evidence of Civil Rights Violations

Leadership Award
SCO Family of Services – Demonstrating a Strategic Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion – Keith M. Little, President & CEO