Fred worked as a liaison between provincial youth protection services and the Black community with the aim of reducing the number of Black children in care. He became known as an expert on the issue of the overrepresentation of Black youth in youth protection. Fred asserts that this overrepresentation starts in schools. For Fred, BCSEs emerged in response to the crisis facing Black youth and their families in the radical 1960’s. Fred emphasises that BCSEs accomplished significant work since then, but that much of that history remains undocumented, leading newer initiatives to repeat avoidable mistakes. For Fred, documenting the histories of BCSES through oral history is the one way to preserve their history and learn and reflect. By maintaining the values of the Black community, BCSEs provide ‘protective factors’ that help youth to navigate a racist society.