This stop will be the second of three visits Rev. Dr. Wilson will make to CDF Freedom Schools® sites this summer to hear from parents and children about child well-being America.
Media Contact: John Henry, jhenry@childrensdefense.org, Media Relations Manager, 708-646-7679
ALLENTOWN, PA—On Tuesday, Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the national youth advocacy organization Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), will visit Allentown to hear directly from children and families in the Lehigh Valley about the challenges they face, and the solutions they envision, amid continued uncertainty around the economy and essential education and health programs.
Wilson will meet with parents and scholars at Resurrected Community Development Corporation’s (RCDC) James Lawson Freedom School on July 1 for the discussion. RCDC partners with the CDF Freedom Schools®program to offer children and young people in Allentown, and surrounding communities, an opportunity to strengthen their literacy, leadership, and social-emotional skills while preventing summer learning loss.
Tuesday night’s event at RCDC is one stop in a three-part multi-state listening tour led by Dr. Wilson and Children’s Defense Fund in 2025. Last week, he visited Francis Burns United Methodist Church Freedom School in Columbia, South Carolina. Soon, he will also visit a CDF Freedom Schools partner site in Maryland to hear from local families and children there. CDF has held executive listening sessions with families at CDF Freedom Schools in ten different states since 2022.
Children’s Defense Fund’s annual listening tour, including the session at RCDC, will help further inform its public policy positions and advocacy as the organization works to ensure all children and youth in America experience the joy of growing up.
“In Washington, DC, lawmakers are considering funding cuts to programs that improve the health, nutrition, and education of Pennsylvania children,” Wilson said. “Too many leaders fail to listen to the voices of the children, youth, and families they are charged to serve. We’re coming to Allentown and Pennsylvania because we want to better understand what supports and resources families need for their children to thrive. What we hear will strengthen our advocacy to protect safety net programs from harmful cuts and shape our positions on key issues going forward.”
| What: | Children’s Defense Fund – Executive Listening Session |
| When: | 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm, June 25, 2025 |
| Where: | Resurrected Community Development Corporation 620 Hamilton Street Allentown, Pennsylvania 18101 |