Just and Caring Communities
Promise
Our children will play freely in parks, walk safely to bus stops, and
learn in schools as sanctuaries, with neighbors and public servants as
guardians of their well-being.
Problem
Both community and state-sponsored violence rob children of
peace and play. Guns are the leading cause of death for children and youth in America. Two-thirds of the young people in the juvenile justice system are children of color. Children are negatively impacted by immigration enforcement efforts, as 1 in 4 children in the United States have at least one foreign-born parent.
Policy Path
In this zone, CDF will advocate for public policy related to: (1) Gun safety and restrictions, (2) Public health approaches to public safety, (3) Youth justice reform, and (4) Immigration Reform.
Moonshot Generational Commitment
Eliminate youth jails and detention centers to deliver on CDF’s historic commitment to end the “criminalization of children.
Learn MoreRelated Updates
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Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom. A Commitment to Justice.
On June 19, 1865, more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation, Union soldiers arrived in Galveston, Texas, to announce the freedom of more than 250,000 enslaved Black people.…
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Keeping the Charge
On June 6, Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) celebrates Founder’s Day. This date was chosen to honor the birthday of our founder and president emerita, Marian Wright Edelman.…
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For Our Children: We Owe them Peace of Mind
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.…
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Early Childhood
Take Action Today to Oppose SB 1798
If passed, Senate Bill 1798 would amend the Texas Education Code to reclassify students whose presence in the United States is “not authorized under federal statute” as non-residents.…