Youth advocates and local faith leaders will discuss attacks on childhood and call on federal, state lawmakers to fight cuts and federal law enforcement surge as we seek to create a Minnesota where all children thrive.
Media Contact Alex Fitzsimmons, afitzsimmons@childrensdefense.org, CDF-MN Senior Policy Director, 612-226-0830; John Henry, jhenry@childrensdefense.org, CDF Media Relations Manager, 708-646-7679
SAINT PAUL, MN—On Wednesday, Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota (CDF-MN) will hold a virtual press conference to examine the collective harm facing Minnesota’s children amid an expanded presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Twin Cities region and a year marked by repeated acts of gun violence.
CDF-MN State Director Alisha Porter will be joined by Dr. Billy Charvez Russell, senior pastor of Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, and Bishop Richard D. Howell Jr., pastor of Shiloh Temple International Ministries, for an 11 a.m. press conference to discuss these issues. Over the past year, Minnesota has experienced multiple tragic incidents that have had a direct and lasting impact on children’s well-being and mental health, including:
- The murder of Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, a lifelong champion for children, and her husband, Mark.
- A mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, where two children were killed, and many others injured.
- The most recent killing of Minneapolis resident and legal observer Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent during a federal immigration enforcement operation, an event that has intensified community concern and sparked protests nationwide.
These violent events have occurred alongside intensified ICE enforcement near local schools and community centers, raising fear and anxiety among Minnesota’s immigrant families.
“Childhoods are interrupted by lockdowns, drills, shootings, grief, and anxiety,” Porter said. “Something precious is being taken away from Minnesota’s children: their childhoods. The joy, wonder, safety, and freedom that every child deserves are being stolen by violence, fear, and disregard. Month after month, our children carry compounded trauma. Stress layered on stress in bodies and brains still forming. We know what this does to children. Chronic stress affects their sleep, their ability to learn, their immune systems, their emotional regulation, and their sense of trust in the world.”
When/Where:
11 a.m. CST
Link: https://childrensdefense-org.zoom.us/j/95544581182?pwd=Nc6n4t6A8CCImrIaMYbqgGAMO6zioy.1
Who:
Alisha Porter, Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota
Dr. Billy Charvez Russell, Greater Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
Bishop Richard D. Howell Jr., Shiloh Temple International Ministries
Alexandra Fitzsimmons, Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota
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About Children’s Defense Fund
Founded in 1973, Children’s Defense Fund envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. The only national, multi-issue advocacy organization working at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice, CDF advances the well-being of America’s most diverse generation, the 74 million children and youth under the age of 18 and 30 million young adults under the age of 25. CDF’s grassroots movements in marginalized communities build power for child-centered public policy, informed by racial equity and the lived experience of children and youth. Its renowned CDF Freedom Schools® program is conducted in nearly 100 cities across 30 states and territories. Learn more at www.childrensdefense.org.