I spent most of the month of May on the road. From community celebrations with our state office and civil rights partners in New York, to stops on the State of the People Tour in Newark, Detroit, and Richmond, to keynotes and commencement addresses in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Baltimore. In every place we paused long enough to hear young people raising their voices—clearly, powerfully, and persistently—pleading for peace of mind.
Perhaps the sound was more resonant because May was Mental Health Awareness Month. Maybe the first stop on this journey opened my ears to hear. On May 1, Dr. Ramesh Raghavan of New York University’s Silver School of Social Work joined CDF’s Board of Directors for a learning and strategy session about children’s mental health. While we have work to do to ensure young people are free from anxiety and stress, he shared a message of hope from within our community.
An April 2024 article from Pew Research Center analyzed the rising Black adolescent suicide rate, which at a 144% increase from 2007 to 2020 among 10–17-year-olds, is pacing higher than other racial or ethnic groups. Using the 2019 Ring the Alarm Report from the Congressional Black Caucus, researchers identified barriers to care as “systemic inequities including racism and poverty…deeply rooted stigma around mental health and well-founded cultural mistrust of the health care system.” Pew highlights the need for culturally competent healthcare providers as another barrier. Other scholarship, including a Journal of Public Mental Health March 2025 article, Promoting mental health equality by investing in organizations, identifies the barrier of access to funding and capacity for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color-led organizations positioned to address youth mental health in community.
Dr. Raghavan—no stranger to CDF, having spoken at our national policy forum and attended the CDF Freedom Schools® National Training—suggested we are delivering helpful medicine for children’s mental health. In his 2023 book, Investing in Children’s Mental Health, Ramesh and his colleague, Daniel Eisenberg, call a “social vaccine” a powerful, preventive force that builds individual and collective resilience in the face of structural harm.
The morning celebrations at CDF Freedom Schools sites—marked by song, dance, laughter, reading, and joy—are just what the doctor ordered. Harambee is a social vaccine…and it’s time for a summer dose.
In June, young people transition from school, and we acknowledge Gun Violence Awareness Month. In town halls across the country, we hear how violence, which often spikes in the warmer months to come, is disturbing a sense of peace. The Department of Labor’s shutdown of the Job Corps Program for youth working to get on track will only exacerbate the problem.
Young people deserve support and a sense of peace: environments that affirm their identities, honor their voices, and ensure their safety and well-being. They are calling for culturally responsive care, safe spaces in schools, and policies that affirm their full humanity.
We are listening to help create the world they deserve. In 30 states this summer, CDF Freedom Schools staff, Servant Leader Interns, volunteers, and community partners will build spaces where children play and find peace.
This is a debt we owe to our young scholars and every one of our children. Let’s work together to ensure they receive this inheritance.
For our children,
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson
President and CEO