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Videos

  • 04/06/12 - Video
    The New Jim Crow
    Come hear Michelle Alexander, legal scholar and author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness and other thought leaders. Register for the CDF National Conference, Pursuing Justice for Children and the Poor with Urgency and Persistence, July 22nd - July 25th in Cincinnati, Ohio, and join the justice movement for children. Learn more about sessions, workshops, and speakers visit http://www.childrensdefense.org/conference.
  • 04/05/12 - Video
    Step Up for Children
    Step up for children and register for the CDF National Conference Pursuing Justice for Children and the Poor with Urgency and Persistence. Join 3,000 leading researchers, educators, policymakers, practitioners, faith leaders, and advocates including 1,000 young adult leaders from July 22nd - July 25th in Cincinnati, Ohio. Special discount for early registration ends April 20th. Learn more about sessions, workshops, and speakers visit http://www.childrensdefense.org/conference.
  • 04/02/12 - Video
    Raymond Perez: 2012 CDF-Minnesota Beat The Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    The Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds program honors outstanding high schools students who have overcome tremendous adversity, demonstrated academic excellence and given back to their communities. Since 1990 more than 700 young people have received the Beat The Odds Scholarship and Leadership Award. Raymond Perez is one of them. Learn more about CDF's Beat the Odds program by visiting http://shar.es/fcjyN
  • 04/02/12 - Video
    LaShay Thompson: 2012 CDF-Minnesota Beat The Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    The Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds program honors outstanding high schools students who have overcome tremendous adversity, demonstrated academic excellence and given back to their communities. Since 1990 more than 700 young people have received the Beat The Odds Scholarship and Leadership Award. LaShay Thompson is one of them. Learn more about CDF's Beat the Odds program by visiting http://shar.es/fcjyN
  • 04/02/12 - Video
    Eduardo Sanchez: 2012 CDF-Minnesota Beat The Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    The Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds program honors outstanding high schools students who have overcome tremendous adversity, demonstrated academic excellence and given back to their communities. Since 1990 more than 700 young people have received the Beat The Odds Scholarship and Leadership Award. Eduardo Sanchez is one of them. Learn more about CDF's Beat the Odds program by visiting http://shar.es/fcjyN
  • 04/02/12 - Video
    Anne Sinner: 2012 CDF-Minnesota Beat The Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    The Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds program honors outstanding high schools students who have overcome tremendous adversity, demonstrated academic excellence and given back to their communities. Since 1990 more than 700 young people have received the Beat The Odds Scholarship and Leadership Award. Anne Sinner is one of them. Learn more about CDF's Beat the Odds program by visiting http://shar.es/fcjyN
  • 03/28/12 - Video
    Mary Nell McPherson: The magic of Freedom Schools in Charlotte
    Mary Nell McPherson discusses the benefits of the Freedom Schools program in Charlotte, NC.
  • 03/20/12 - Video
    Jane: Medicaid Changed Her Life
    The Affordable Care Act (ACA) protects and strengthens Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). In 2011 more than 1.5 million children gained health coverage through Medicaid and CHIP, bringing the number of uninsured children in America to the lowest on record. Under the ACA, in 2014 Medicaid will see the largest expansion since its creation in 1965, and Americans with incomes below 133% of the federal poverty level will be eligible for Medicaid coverage. This is crucial for children like Jane who have health conditions that require surgery and hospitalization. In addition, thanks to the ACA Jane will not have to worry that insurance companies in the future will deny her coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Let's celebrate the second anniversary of the ACA and important health care gains for children and young adults.
  • 03/16/12 - Video
    Affordable Care Act Fact: Pre-existing Conditions Covered
    Insurance companies used to refuse to cover children with pre-existing conditions. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) prohibited that and has already helped millions of families. For Malcolm and his family it has brought tremendous relief. His parents' insurance company can no longer deny him healthcare, limit his medicine and medical care or set lifetime caps on coverage. Let's celebrate the second anniversary of the ACA and important health care gains for children and young adults.
  • 03/15/12 - Video
    Maeve: A-C-A (Affordable Care Act) SONG
    An adorable Maeve sings the A-C-A Song. Let's stand with our children and celebrate the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that will provide access to health coverage for more than 95 percent of America's children and strengthen America's health care system for everyone.
  • 03/15/12 - Video
    Atticus: A-C-A (Affordable Care Act) SONG
    Young Atticus sings the ACA song. Let's stand with our children and celebrate the second anniversary of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that will provide access to health coverage for more than 95 percent of America's children and strengthen America's health care system for everyone.
  • 03/05/12 - Video
    CDF National Conference: Invitation from Marian Wright Edelman
    When 16.4 million children are poor, 8.3 million children do not have healthcare, and a majority of children cannot read or compute at grade level in the fourth, eighth and 12th grades--we have a growing national crisis that demands an urgent response in these politically volatile and polarized times. To register visit http://www.childrensdefense.org/conference
  • 02/28/12 - Video
    Dr. Jeanne Middleton Hairston: What is CDF Freedom Schools®?
    The CDF Freedom Schools program provides summer and after-school enrichment that helps children fall in love with reading, increases their self-esteem, and generates more positive attitudes toward learning. Since 1995 over 90,000 children have had a CDF Freedom Schools experience.
  • 02/28/12 - Video
    Michael Tubbs: 4 Organizing Lessons from David and Goliath
    Student leader at Stanford University Michael Tubbs from Stockton, CA, addresses historically black college and university (HBCU) student government leaders and students from various black student leadership networks from majority colleges and universities during the Young Advocate Leadership Training (YALT®) program in October 2011 at CDF Haley Farm. Tubbs asks the question, "What lessons can we apply that we learned from the biblical story of David and Goliath against the giants of homelessness, poverty, racism, violence, and so many more evils that threaten our children today?"
  • 02/28/12 - Video
    Marian Wright Edelman on the Need for Student Leadership Now
    CDF President Marian Wright Edelman addresses student leaders of color about the absolute necessity for them to lead an effort to dismantle the cradle to prison pipeline that is leading so many young Black children to dead-end lives and mass incarceration. This call to action concluded the Young Advocate Leadership training (YALT®) program in October 2011 at CDF Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee.
  • 02/28/12 - Video
    Andrew Young on Malcolm X and Dr. King
    Ambassador Andrew Young discusses his relationship with Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the differences in their background and tactics in achieving their goals during the civil rights movement during the Children's Defense Fund's Young Advocate Leadership Training (YALT®) program.
  • 02/28/12 - Video
    Oleta Fitzgerald on Activating Networks
    CDF-Southern Regional Office Director Oleta Fitzgerald tells Young Advocate Leadership Training (YALT®) participants about what their role is in responding to children's needs and how they are at the nexus of decision making in this country. The training took place in October 2011 and focused on training leaders on historically black college and university (HBCU) campuses and on majority campuses in being organizers for justice and to save all children, but especially those left behind, from dead-end lives.
  • 02/23/12 - Video
    New York Beat the Odds® Awards: Javon Mullings
    Beat the Odds®, a project initiated by the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) in 1990, celebrates the positive potential of young people. On December 14th, CDF-New York celebrated five extraordinary high school students who have overcome tremendous challenges to excel academically and give back to their community and the families, friends, teachers and counselors who helped them succeed. To learn more about the Beat The Odds® program visit http://shar.es/gR3Pl
  • 12/20/11 - Video
    Whoopi Recounts a Christmas Story
  • 12/15/11 - Video
    Ninaad Dave: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Ninaad Dave: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 12/15/11 - Video
    Cyrus Dennis: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Cyrus Dennis: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 12/15/11 - Video
    Javon Mullings: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Javon Mullings: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 12/15/11 - Video
    Jane Soliternik: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Jane Soliternik: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 12/15/11 - Video
    Linda Hyginus: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Linda Hyginus: 2011 CDF - New York Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 12/07/11 - Video
    Caylin Moore: 2011 CDF-California Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    At the age of six, Caylin Moore’s mother took the courageous step to leave a volatile home plagued by domestic violence. She raised Caylin and his two siblings as a single mother, entered and finished law school, and saved her children from a vicious cycle of abuse.
  • 12/07/11 - Video
    Nancy Kannampuzha: 2011 CDF-California Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Despite betrayal and abandonment at an early age, Nancy has emerged as a beacon of light and a champion for countless young people who have been silenced by physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
  • 12/07/11 - Video
    Jeannette Wright: 2011 CDF-California Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    As the child of a deaf mother and a deaf and mute father, Jeannette has assumed adult responsibilities for much of her young life. Living on Social Security benefits and food stamps, Jeannette’s parents have struggled to provide for their daughter and have often gone hungry when resources are limited.
  • 12/07/11 - Video
    Britany Lewis: 2011 CDF-California Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    In the face of abandonment, homelessness, and physical abuse, Britany Lewis has stood tall against odds that have threatened to destroy her dreams. Despite it all, Brittany believes, “I overcame the things from my past because I refuse to let them hold me back.
  • 12/07/11 - Video
    John Jimenez: 2011 CDF-California Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    From an early age, John Jimenez had to become the “man of the house” as he dealt with the challenges of his brother being born with cerebral palsy, his family was financially devastated, his parents eventually divorced, and his mother struggled to find work.
  • Anh Luong: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient 11/16/11 - Video
    Anh Luong: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Anh Luong: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 11/16/11 - Video
    Andrew Finein: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Andrew Finein: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 11/16/11 - Video
    Leland Kraatz: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Leland Kraatz: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat the Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 11/16/11 - Video
    Thurman Anderson: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat The Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Thurman Anderson: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat The Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • 11/16/11 - Video
    Mustafaa Nuraldin: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat The Odds® Scholarship Recipient
    Mustafaa Nuraldin: 2011 Washington D.C. Beat The Odds® Scholarship Recipient
  • Kristie Kauerz 08/10/11 - Video
    Kristie Kauerz: A Full-Day Kindergarten Myth
    Dr. Kauerz explains the structural components of the pre-k-third grade early learning continuum with an emphasis on the need for all components to be high quality and coordinated for the desired child outcomes to occur. Dr. Kaurez speaks to the value of public school full-day kindergarten in the educational system in this country and reminds us currently attendance in kindergarten for some is based on luck and wealth.
  • Linda Sullivan-Dudzic 08/10/11 - Video
    Linda Sullivan-Dudzic: Implementing the Early Learning Continuum
    Linda Sullivan-Dudzic, Special programs Director, Bremerton (WA) School District, gives specific details of how Bremerton School District in Washington transformed student achievement by implementing the pre-k-third grade model and how critical full-day kindergarten is to their success.
  • 07/14/11 - Video
    2011 National Day of Social Action
    Scholars from the SEED-CDF Freedom Schools® site in Riverdale, Maryland, write letters to Congress encouraging them to support education funding as part of the National Day of Social Action on July 13, 2011.
  • Thomas Shultz 06/23/11 - Video
    Thomas Shultz: Full-Day Kindergarten Makes a Difference
    As program director of the Next Generation Learners Council of Chief State School Officers, Thomas Schultz explains the reciprocal relationship between educating a child and the role of community engagement.
  • Lisa Guernsey 06/23/11 - Video
    Lisa Guernsey: The Benefits of Full-Day Kindergarten
    Lisa Guernsey, program director of the Early Education Initiative at the New America Foundation, explains that early education is an essential building block to getting children started on the right track and how research supports full-day kindergarten as a way for a child to make nice gains in later schooling. Guernsey says children cannot be expected to carry the full load of first or second grade without the introduction to learning kindergarten provides.
  • Carol Brunson Day 06/23/11 - Video
    Carol Brunson Day: Building an Early Childhood System
    Carol Brunson Day, president and CEO of the National Black Child Development Institute, discusses the need for quality, vibrant Pre-K and full-day kindergarten and how these programs foster continued success in school.
  • Jerlean E. Daniel 06/23/11 - Video
    Jerlean E. Daniel: Full-Day Kindergarten Left Behind
    Jerlean E. Daniel, executive director of the National Association for the Education of Young Children, stresses that school should be a continuation of experiences and kindergarten serves as the launching point for building a love for learning and how without full-day kindergarten, children face many more challenges both academically and developmentally.
  • Angie Salazar's Head Start to Harvard Story 03/29/11 - Video
    From Head Start to Harvard
    Here is the story of Angelica Salazar and her development from a Head Start student to a Harvard University student. Yet another example of why Head Start works!
  • 03/24/11 - Video
    U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan Praises CDF Freedom Schools
    U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan praises the successes of the CDF Freedom Schools® program at a March 15th meeting at CDF. Freedom Schools improve child literacy by instilling a love of reading while providing positive role models through mentoring from student leader interns.
  • Amy Wilkens 03/24/11 - Video
    Improving Support for Teachers: No More One-Shot Workshops at the Mariott
    Amy Wilkins, Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications at the Education Trust, talks about improving support for teachers through improved evaluation systems, and the need to provide low-income and minority children with “more than their fair share” of resources—including highly effective teachers.
  • Amy Wilkens 03/23/11 - Video
    Cheating our Children
    Amy Wilkins, Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications at the Education Trust, explains why and how poor and minority students are being cheated when it comes to their education. Across our country, our most vulnerable students are given the poorest schools, the newest teachers, and the least resources.
  • Youtube video image of Judith Browne Dianis 03/23/11 - Video
    Arrests in School: Where the Pipeline to Prison Begins
    Judith Browne Dianis, Co-Director of the Advancement Project, discusses how policing in schools and excessive discipline open the pipeline to prison for many young black students.
  • 03/23/11 - Video
    I Wish Parents Were Telling Me to Go Faster
    U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan tells Black community and faith leaders at the Children's Defense Fund that he wishes parents would demand more from our country's education system.
  • 03/23/11 - Video
    Proposed Federal Budget Cuts Will Hurt Children
    Bob Greenstein from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities discusses the crisis children face by proposed federal budget cuts with Black community and faith leaders at the Children's Defense Fund.
  • Amy Wilkens 03/23/11 - Video
    Mythbuster
    Amy Wilkins, Vice President for Government Affairs and Communications at the Education Trust, refutes the myth that low-income and minority children are “too damaged” to learn.
  • 03/23/11 - Video
    Babies are Not the Problem
    U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan addresses a group of Black community and faith leaders at the Children's Defense Fund, discussing the economic and moral imperative we have to improve education in the United States.