The Black Community Crusade for Children (BCCC) was organized to confront a deepening crisis facing far too many of our children. Poor children and children of color are particularly at risk for poor outcomes in all developmental and societal areas, and we are calling on all Americans to take action. A toxic cocktail of poverty, illiteracy, racial disparity, violence and massive incarceration is sentencing millions of children of color to dead end, powerless, and hopeless lives and threatens to undermine the past half century of racial and social progress. The BCCC offers an intergenerational approach to inform the community about the potential harm to our children should we do nothing, and engage and encourage them to advocate for, address, and support our children’s issues with urgency and persistence.
Edleman and Canada were joined by Geoff Garin, president of Hart Research Associates, who presented important research, he conducted on behalf of Children's Defense Fund.
The BCCC, co-convened by CDF with Dr. John Hope Franklin and Dr. Dorothy Height, was quietly launched in 1990 to combat one of the worst crises the Black child and family faced since slavery. Over the past two decades, BCCC’s successes include the CDF Freedom Schools® program; the Harlem Children’s Zone; youth leadership development programs which have trained 20,000 young leaders; economic empowerment work in 77 “Black Belt” southern counties; and the placed-based policy work of PolicyLink.
Learn more about BCCC by downloading “Call to Action For Our Children”.
The CDF Freedom Schools summer and afterschool programs supports children and families with high quality academic enrichment; parent and family involvement; civic engagement and social action; intergenerational leadership development; and nutrition, health and mental health. Learn more.
Through nationwide initiatives and community-based programs, we plant the seeds to develop the next generation of servant-leaders who will continue to reweave the fabric of community for children and youth. Our vision is to create a successor generation of servant-leaders who will drive community and national transformations and inspire and make long-term improvements for children. Learn more.
A national model for breaking the cycle of poverty. Learn more.
A national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity by Lifting Up What Works®. Learn more.
Black children describe, in their own words, the challenges they face. These children participated in an in-depth study conducted by Hart Research Associates for CDF on behalf of the BCCC.
Download the report, “The State of Black Children and Families”. A study by Andy Sum, director of the Center for Labor Market Studies at Northeastern University, found the American dream and employment opportunities vanishing for many Black young people. Download the study, Deteriorating Employment Rates and Incomes Threaten the Futures of Young Workers and Young Families; Black Young People and Young Families Fare the Worst”.
Black and Hispanic children and youth continue to face multiple risks from birth and throughout life that increase the danger of their becoming part of the Cradle to Prison Pipeline® crisis that leads to dead end lives. See the attached reports below for more information.
A report showing the gross inequalities facing Black children compared to White children, across all critical indicators of wellbeing. Download the report.
A report showing that Hispanic children and youth are falling deeper into an abyss of poverty, hunger, homelessness and despair. Download the report.
Watch videos of Black leaders, thought leaders, talking about the challenges and the solutions.
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Get informed, get connected, and join the crusade for all our children. We don’t have a minute, or another child, to lose.
For the first time, this report shows that by investing an additional 2 percent of the federal budget into existing programs and policies that increase employment, make work pay, and ensure children’s basic needs are met, the nation could reduce child poverty by 60 percent and lift 6.6 million children out of poverty.
January 28, 2015
For the first time, this report shows that by investing an additional 2 percent of the federal budget into existing programs and policies that increase employment, make work pay, and ensure children’s basic needs are met, the nation could reduce child poverty by 60 percent and lift 6.6 million children out of poverty.
January 28, 2015
The State of America's Children 2014
The State of America's Children 2014
January 23, 2014
Child Poverty in America 2014 National Fact Sheet
Poverty data released by the U.S. Census Bureau on September 16, 2015 reveal that child poverty declined slightly in 2014, from 21.5 percent in 2013 to 21.1 percent in 2014. While child poverty rates declined for Hispanic, White and Asian children, Black children saw an increase and continue to have the highest child poverty rate. Despite some decreases child poverty among all children remains at shamefully high levels. One in five children – 15.5 million – were poor in 2014, and children remain the poorest age group in the country.
September 17, 2015
A city-wide conversation on youth, the issues that affect them and community- based solutions that work.
September 14, 2015
Action Ideas for the 2015 Children's Sabbaths Weekend and Throughout the Year
The National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths is about more than worship — even though worship is central to the occasion. The weekend, with the insight and inspiration from the experience of worship, aims to generate powerful, faithful sustained action to improve the lives of children. The Children’s Sabbath resource manual usually offers dozens of ideas and suggestions for actions that places of worship might take on the Children’s Sabbath weekend to learn more and raise awareness, reach out and serve directly, and raise voices for justice. This year we are focusing on five key actions. We hope every place of worship will hold a “Bending the Arc Study & Action Circle” to study and act on CDF’s 2015 Ending Child Poverty Now report. Never has it been more important to prevent threatened federal budget cuts to the programs we know lift children out of poverty — ending child poverty requires more investment in these programs, not less. We hope you will also take one or more of the other actions. This focused, united action will amplify the impact of the Children’s Sabbath weekend and strengthen the connection across faith traditions as we unite to improve the lives of children throughout the year.
September 15, 2015
Rekindling the Spirit: A Vision for the New Millennial Movement to Leave No Child Behind
Rekindling the Spirit: A Vision for the New Millennial Movement to Leave No Child Behind
Strong Start for America's Children Act Offers New Hope for Children Birth through Five
CDF produced "Portrait of Inequality 2012", a report showing the gross inequalities facing Black children compared to White children, across all critical indicators of wellbeing.
A Portrait of Inequality 2012 - Hispanic Children in America
The economic crisis of the last five years has pushed Hispanic children and youth deeper and deeper into an abyss of poverty, hunger, homelessness and despair. Hispanic children and youth continue to face multiple risks from birth and throughout life that increase the danger of their becoming part of the Cradle to Prison Pipeline® crisis that leads to dead end lives.
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