The Steering Committee is a community-driven body of dedicated individuals working to reduce deaths among African American children in Sacramento County.
The Committee was established by a resolution of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors in June 2013. Its ultimate charge is to provide coordination and oversight of efforts, create a strategic plan, monitor implementation, evaluate, and report on progress toward reducing the disproportional number of African American child deaths. The Steering Committee’s efforts focus on four issue areas:
- Homicide Related to Child Abuse and Neglect
- Third-Party Homicide
- Deaths Related to Perinatal Conditions
- Infant Sleep-Related Deaths
Background
In 2011, Supervisor Phil Serna convened the Blue Ribbon Commission on Disproportionate African American Child Deaths. Alarmed that in Sacramento County African American children die at very disproportional rates compared to other children, the Commission was an effort to activate the Sacramento community and engage resources to do something about it.
The Steering Committee is funded by the County of Sacramento, City of Sacramento and First 5 Sacramento, and is managed by The Center.

Black Child Legacy Campaign
The Black Child Legacy Campaign is the community-driven movement established by the Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths.
Visit the Black Child Legacy Campaign web site.
Meeting Information
RAACD Prayer Breakfast
Thank you to everyone who joined The Center at Sierra Health Foundation, the Steering Committee on Reduction of African American Child Deaths and Black Child Legacy Campaign partners for this annual event on March 17.
Important Notice: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Steering Committee meetings are being held via videoconference.
The Steering Committee meets bimonthly on the third Wednesday of the month from 2:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. at Sierra Health Foundation, 1321 Garden Highway in Sacramento, unless otherwise posted. Steering Committee meetings are open to the public.
Meeting Materials
Join the Community Leadership Roundtable
Publications
Transformative Justice Community
This report is the result of a two-year evaluation conducted by researchers at UC Davis and Sacramento State University. It provides evidence of the effectiveness of the strategies in building a sustainable system of support to protect children from preventable deaths.