The BCLC Model

In neighborhoods facing racial inequity and economic disparities, progress often depends on the strength of relationships between community members and local organizations.

BCLC recognizes the critical importance of established trust and community-specific knowledge when supporting Black families to reduce preventable deaths.

01

Use com­munity-specific metrics to assess each neighbor­hood

02

Identify a trusted com­munity nonprofit (Com­munity Incubator Lead)

03

Build a network of grassroots organi­zations

04

Co-create a compre­hensive strategy

05

Engage families through educa­tional forums, case manage­ment, youth programs, crisis inter­vention and more

06

Measure data and statistics to evaluate change
Evaluate and refine
Cover of the book, Faith Made Flesh

BCLC’s model is gaining recognition beyond city limits. In Fresno, nonprofit organization Cultural Brokers Inc. is implementing BCLC strategies like safe sleep education, case management and parenting workshops. In 2024, editors Lawrence “Torry” Winn, Vajra M. Watson, Maisha T. Winn and Kindra F. Montgomery-Block published Faith Made Flesh: The Black Child Legacy Campaign for Transformative Justice and Healthy Futures through Cornell University Press. The book features BCLC as a case study for how effective community-city partnerships can help effectively tackle our most dire injustices.

“Data tells a story. And if we’re going to reverse the story, then it’s important that we intentionally address the issues that the data is showing.”

– Danielle Lawrence, BCLC Partner, Arden Arcade