Latest news with #Children'sDefenseFund
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Engaging Local Leaders Is Key to Helping Young Children and Their Families Thrive
Since November, advocates and experts have sounded the alarm over what the Trump administration's executive orders and directives could mean for America's young children and their families. Severe budget cuts could impact programs including Head Start and Early Head Start. Threats of mass deportations have left many early educators seeking legal advice for how to best support the children and families they serve. The administration has announced plans to shut down the U.S. Department of Education, and along with it, a great many initiatives that support healthy development. Amid the mayhem, organizations and advocates across the country are mobilizing to support and protect young children. The Children's Defense Fund (CDF), for example, is focused on creating conditions for young children to flourish. The nonprofit, which was formed in 1973, grew out of the Civil Right Movement, and its mission is to 'build community so young people grow up with dignity, hope and joy.' In the Q&A below, Sheri Brady, CDF's vice president of strategy and program, discusses the current policy environment for children and shares why engaging local leaders in collaborative partnerships is critical to the long-term well-being of children and youth. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. You've been in the child advocacy world a long time. What's different about the present moment? There's a lot of noise right now, a lot of chaos, a lot of confusion, because orders are coming fast and furious. This makes it all more important to keep our eyes on the prize. We are here to build conditions for children to thrive. We're working with our partner organizations to understand what is happening and what the impact is will be on nonprofits and thinking about what it will be on the communities we serve. Is CDF taking part in lawsuits against the Trump administration? We're not a legal advocacy organization. We are partnering where we can and signing on to amicus briefs, but we can't work on every issue. We are focused on the changes that are going to have the most impact on the communities we serve. What are you most concerned about? I would point to changes that would move education from a public good to a private right and attacks on the economic stability and security of families and children through cuts to Medicaid, SNAP (The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), Head Start, WIC (the nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children), and a lack of a fully refundable, expanded child tax credit. Beyond these policy issues, we need to address the legacy of poverty and systemic racism that have led to the conditions for poor families in this country. We have to really think about how to fix systems. How can foundations and philanthropists respond to this environment? Philanthropy is not just about charity. In addition to writing a check, [foundations and philanthropists] can use their power and their influence to open doors and speak to the government. We're hoping that funders stay the course to invest in the programs that help children and families to thrive. Why is it important to engage with local leaders? They are the ones who know what families are going through and what kind of programs are working for them. Those who are closest to the problems are closest to the solutions. How can local organizations make a difference when so many of today's issues are at the national level? Partnerships matter right now. CDF is one of seven partners involved with the Early Learning Nation Collective and we serve in the backbone role, thinking about how to have the sum be greater than the parts. The collective's [goal is] creating a nation where local leaders, parents, caregivers and community leaders really have a say in what's happening. We help local leaders unlock the power that they have to create and to have agency over the things that matter to them. That's the beauty of the collective. You've got these people around the table and looking at the big picture, but everyone has their part to play. How is that tying to that? How are we getting together to think about those things? How has your personal story shaped your work and your commitment to children? I was very lucky. I grew up in a multigenerational household. My mom was a single mom, but my dad was very active in my life. Both sets of grandparents were around, so my mom had support for her career. As a hospital nurse, she worked the third shift. She would be home when we got home from school, but then she would have to leave at night, and we would stay with our grandparents. I [also] have nieces and nephews, several niblings, both of blood and choice. I really believe what I want for the children in my life is what I want for everybody's children. Marian Wright Edelman, founder of CDF, has quite a legacy. When did you first hear of CDF and of Edelman? Almost everybody who works at CDF has a Marian Wright Edelman story. In 1989 I was a sophomore at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts. She spoke at the graduation, and I was a commencement volunteer. She was wonderful, so passionate, so powerful. She really spoke to me and changed the course of my life. How is Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson continuing her legacy through his role as president and CEO of CDF? He is someone who is really dedicated to moving this forward. He is a father, and just like I said about what I want for my niblings — what he wants for his children is what he wants for all children, which is to be successful, be happy, be joyful. Disclosure: The Bezos Family Foundation provides financial support to the Early Learning Nation Collective. Prior to 2025, the foundation also oversaw Early Learning Nation, which is now part of The 74's network of websites. These organizations are not affiliated.
The Guardian
27-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Most banned books feature people of color and LGBTQ+ people, report finds
The majority of banned books in US public schools last year dealt with people of color, LGBTQ+ people and other demographics, according to a new study from PEN America. The report also counteracts claims by conservative lawmakers that books being removed from classrooms are sexually explicit and that book bans are altogether a 'hoax', an assertion made by Donald Trump. There were more than 10,000 instances of books being banned in the 2023-24 school year, PEN America reported, a sharp increase from the previous year, as Republican-led states implemented new censorship laws. Out of 4,218 book titles that were banned, 1,534 – or 36% – featured people of color, the most censored identity group in book bans. Some removed titles included August Wilson's Pulitzer-prize winning play Fences and Innosanto Nagara's A is for Activist, a picture book for children about social issues. Books featuring people of color were disproportionately targeted in all banned-book categories, the report found, especially in removed historical and biographical titles. Of such banned books, 44% included people of color; more than one-fourth, or 26%, of those books featured Black people. Advocates with PEN America noted that at the same time as the onslaught of book bannings, more than 50% of young people in the US are children of color, according to 2021 data from the Children's Defense Fund. 'This targeted censorship amounts to a harmful assault on historically marginalized and underrepresented populations – a dangerous effort to erase their stories, achievements, and history from schools,' said Sabrina Baêta, senior manager for PEN America's Freedom to Read program, in a press release about the report. 'When we strip library shelves of books about particular groups, we defeat the purpose of a library collection that is supposed to reflect the lives of all people. The damaging consequences to young people are real.' Titles featuring LGBTQ+ characters also made up a sizable number of book bans: 1,066 books, or 25% of all banned titles, included LGBTQ+ people. Transgender or genderqueer characters were specifically targeted in such book bans, as 28% of removed books featuring LGBTQ+ characters included that demographic. Beyond people of color and LGBTQ+ people, books including disabled people were also affected by nationwide bans. About 10% of all removed titles included characters with physical, learning or developmental disabilities or who were neurodivergent. Several affected books with disabled characters focused on 'confidence, self esteem, or experiences with ableism', PEN America reported. Meanwhile, only 13% of removed titles included 'on the page' instances of sexual experiences. Inferred or 'off the page' instances of sexual encounters were included in 31% of banned books. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion The vast majority of banned books (85%) were fiction, with 14% being non-fiction and 1% poetry. About 67% of removed books were for younger audiences, PEN America reported. The ongoing banning of books comes as the Trump administration has cracked down on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts in US public schools and universities. In a memo last week, Trump threatened to withhold federal funding from any schools that refused to eliminate diversity initiatives, such as scholarships for students of certain identity groups and school programming.
