The Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) Freedom Schools program hosts a National Day of Social Action every year, encouraging young people to join to learn and discuss the topics they are passionate about.
This year, the CDF has partnered with Michelle Obama’s When We All Vote initiative, and the day of action will focus on the importance of voting.
The day of action will be held Wednesday, July 15, and an event Tuesday, July 14, will kick off the initiative.
The event will focus on educating children and adults on the importance of voting, while working to amplify children’s voices.
The State of America’s Children
This cause is particularly timely given the recent release of the annual State of America’s Children report, which made it abundantly clear that even before the pandemic, the youth of our country were at great risk.
According to the report:
- More than 11.9 million children (particularly children of color) are living in poverty.
- More than 12.5 million children live in food-insecure households.
- An estimated 4.3 million children are uninsured.
Among some of the study’s other important takeaways:
- “America’s children are more diverse than ever.”
- “Children remain the poorest age group in America, with children of color and young children suffering the highest poverty rates.”
- “Income and wealth inequality are growing, and harming children in low-income, Black and brown families.”
- “The national lack of affordable housing and federal rental assistance leaves millions of children homeless or at risk of homelessness. Millions of children live in food-insecure households, without reliable access to safe, sufficient and nutritious food.”
- “After decades of progress, children’s health coverage is starting to get worse.”
Virtual Rally for
Given this data, it’s clear the challenges and injustices facing U.S. youth must more widely discussed, and children deserve to be educated while having their experiences validated. With this imperative in mind, the CDF is kicking off their initiative with a Facebook live event today.
There will be a virtual rally on Facebook Live on Tuesday, July 14, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. ET—RSVP here.
The rally will encourage children and their families to create and hang up posters displaying the social issues that they are passionate about.
The initiative encourages individuals to vote on behalf of children, and to be aware of the specific issues that hurt our country’s youth, who can’t yet vote for themselves. It is a social responsibility of adults to amplify the voices of children by not only listening to their perspectives, but by using their voting power to put those perspectives on the national agenda.
Participate in the 2020 National Day of Social Action
The best ways to participate in this year’s National Day of Social Action are to:
- attend the virtual rally today,
- register to vote or confirm your registration,
- share the image below on Twitter or Instagram with your thoughts and #VoteBecause, or
- sign up to crosspost the Live Virtual Rally on your organization’s page—check out @WhenWeAllVote and @ChildDefender1973 on Instagram.
Cultivating the activism of children in communities is crucial, given the scope of the inequities they’re facing. Children are speaking out and demanding change.
It is time for us to listen, educate ourselves, and advocate and vote with them in mind this November.
