Children's Defense Fund

Last week, #CDFFreedomSchools leadership met with members of The Brown Bookshelf who participated in our recent 60 for 60 Read Aloud campaign. The campaign, which took place during our National Day of Social Action in July, asked authors, illustrators, and other literary creators to read to scholars at CDF Freedom Schools sites across the country to protect the freedom to read. On Tuesday, author Olugbemisola Rhuday-Perkovich mentioned she was struck by the love staff and scholars showed each other at the local site she visited. “It reminded me that there are often not many spaces for Black children to experience that kind of love and care,” she said. Participants said they felt it was important to show young people their backgrounds and experiences are present in all types of literature. Author Kelly Starling Lyons said the diverse representation and efforts like the 60 for 60 campaign can support young people more than most people imagine. "We make sure they understand that no matter what situation they're in, no matter what hardship they're facing, that there are people who understand books can be a safe space to kind of process and deal with difficult issues and find friends in the text when you might not always find a friend who understands in real life,” she said. Watch the video below to see a little bit more of what authors told us during our recent 60 for 60 debrief session.

We are so grateful for all the people who have worked with CDF to bring dignity, hope, and joy to young people across America over the last 50 years! That's why we want to see all our alumni at #CDFAlumniHomecoming at #CDFHaleyFarm October 18-20! Whether you’re a former staff member, a CDF Freedom Schools® scholar, Beat the Odds scholarship recipient, board member, advisory council member, or Black Community Crusade for Children participant, you are invited to meet us in Clinton, Tennessee, for this very special event! Click here to register now: https://bit.ly/4dY4px1 Read below and scroll through the pictures to see where a few of our CDF alums are now! (Note: The spotlighting of these alums does not serve as an indication of their attendance. All CDF alumni are encouraged to register.) • Anika Bowie – City Councilmember, St. Paul, Minnesota (Former CDF Servant Leader Intern) • Laphonza Butler – United States Senator, California (Former Chair, CDF Board of Directors) • Lourdes Rivera – President, Pregnancy Justice (Former CDF Sr. Health Specialist) • Reese Witherspoon – Actress & Founder of American media company "Hello Sunshine" (Former member of CDF Board of Directors) • Hillary Clinton – Former United States Secretary of State (Former CDF Staff Attorney and Chair, CDF Board of Directors)

Children’s Defense Fund mourns the passing of our dear friend and emeritus board member, Leonard Riggio.

Children's Defense Fund staff frequently travel across America to advocate for young people’s ability to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. One issue we frequently encounter is child poverty. U.S. Census Bureau data showed the child poverty rate more than doubled in America in 2022. Next month, Children's Defense Fund President & CEO Rev. Dr. Starsky D. Wilson will speak at the Children's Advocates for Change Child Poverty Forum in East St. Louis to discuss ways leaders can eradicate need in that Illinois community. The planned forum comes as CDF continues to fight for smart policy proposals that promote Family Stability & Economic Mobility coast-to-coast. Our organization advocates for legislation related to child welfare, family-supporting wages, asset-building opportunities, and expanding the income supports for low-income families. If you are in the St. Louis area, do not miss this important discussion at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's East St. Louis Learning Resource Center. Click here to register: https://bit.ly/470GtGV

Message Magazine reporter Christopher C. Thompson, D.Min. recently visited us at Howard University to cover our national policy forum on child well-being and the 50th anniversary of our founding. Thompson had a discussion with Children's Defense Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Rev. Dr. Starsky D. Wilson about our new policy agenda and our Campaign for Joy that looks to leverage the collective power of individual communities across the country in our fight to ensure every young person in America grows up with dignity, hope, and joy. Message Magazine and Thompson described Wilson as "an intellectually sharp and skilled organizer and administrator" before concluding the struggle "for children's rights and wellness requires a new generation of freedom fighters." Read their entire discussion here: https://bit.ly/4e8Pa4r

In March 1994, Children’s Defense Fund Founder and President Emerita Marian Wright Edelman asked, in a memorandum to CDF’s Board of Directors, for $2.5 million dollars to purchase, renovate, and furnish Alex Haley’s residential farm in Clinton, Tennessee. In that document, she shared her vision of what its sacred grounds could one day become under the care of our organization. “A place where all generations can come and reconnect and teach and nurture and be nurtured and prepare ourselves for the transformations of our families, communities, and nation,” Mrs. Edelman said.   Now, 30 years later, we invite CDF alumni to come together and celebrate that vision, CDF Haley Farm, and all our organization has achieved over the last 50 years during Alumni Homecoming October 18-20. Whether you’re a former staff member, #CDFFreedomSchools scholar, Servant Leader Intern, Ella Baker Trainer, Beat the Odds scholarship recipient, board member, advisory council member, or participant in the Black Community Crusade for Children, we want to see you there! Come celebrate where we’ve been and look ahead to where we’re going! Link in comments for registration details.

The advocacy of Children's Defense Fund staff and volunteers is wide-reaching. Our efforts to bring dignity, happiness, and joy to all young people in America can frequently be seen in statehouses and city halls across America. This week, Children’s Defense Fund-California joined its organizational partners and young people across California to discuss the impact of the state’s youth justice reforms with state lawmakers, like Assemblymember Isaac Bryan. The two-day advocacy event, called YOUTH Day, also highlighted the personal stories of young people whose lives have been directly impacted by California’s youth justice policies. "We envision a system where young people are given the support they need to thrive and become the person they want to be," organizers said. “The steps California has taken in the last few years are helping to create a system that is focused on health and opportunities for growth. It means building on the potential of every young person." CDF-California organized YOUTH Day with several organizational partners, including Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC), The Haywood Burns Institute, Human Rights Watch, Young Women's Freedom Center, Alliance for Children's Rights, National Center for Youth Law, Alliance for Boys and Men of Color, Smart Justice California, and the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center. This comes after our CDF Freedom Schools scholars spoke with lawmakers in several legislative halls last month during our National Day of Social Action. In Austin, the Office of State Representative James Talarico represented our scholars with a special resolution recognizing their efforts to protect the freedom to read across America. While in Indianapolis, scholars got a tour of the Indiana statehouse.

Today marks ten years since a police officer wrongfully shot and killed Michael Brown, Jr., in Ferguson, Missouri. In the historic uprising that followed, Children's Defense Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Rev. Dr. Starsky D. Wilson assisted activists on the ground with mobilization efforts that lasted a year and ultimately gave way to the Movement for Black Lives. Additionally, then-governor of Missouri Jay Nixon named him co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, an independent group set up to conduct a “thorough, wide-ranging and unflinching study of the social and economic conditions that impede progress, equality and safety in the St. Louis region.” This week, Audra D.S. Burch of The New York Times caught up with Dr. Wilson and others from the movement to discuss how the protests in Ferguson a decade ago ultimately shaped some of the political leaders and policies we now have today. “[Ferguson] demonstrates that movements can take one of their own and advance into places where they never thought they would be,” Dr. Wilson said. Click the link to read the entire NYT article here: https://lnkd.in/eWph7YjD

Members of our Children's Defense Fund-New York team recently visited San Francisco, California, to attend the 22nd annual Basic Income Guarantee (BIG) Conference. CDF-NY has been at the forefront of examining the impact guaranteed income can have on young people in New York City along with the YouthNPower: Transforming Care Collective. The collective, which includes The Graduate Center, City University of New York’s Public Science Project, the Center for the Study of Social Policy, and New Yorkers For Children, created a pilot program to provide young people ages 18 to 25, who have aged out of the foster care system in New York City, an unconditional payment of $1,000 per month. In San Francisco, CDF-NY and YouthNPower participated in and facilitated discussions related to identifying public funding opportunities for guaranteed income pilot projects, creating strategies for next-generation pilots, and establishing permanent policies that benefit young people and their families. We believe our work, from direct, on-the-ground efforts in New York City to participation in educational conferences, will only help to spread awareness of the countless benefits guaranteed income projects and policies can have for young people across America. Click here to learn about their efforts here: YouthNPower.org

This November, our nation’s children will depend on us to vote for candidates who prioritize their well-being. Many Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) supporters have pledged to vote with the needs of children and youth in mind. View our Voices for Child Well-being digital album today to celebrate our community! View the album: https://bit.ly/3YmhITf