The impact of the 2024 election may shape our nation for generations. That is why I am pleased Children’s Defense Fund was positioned to host the American Youth Policy Forum in Washington, D.C., on November 8th, just days after millions of Americans cast their votes to discuss what the future holds for young people in our country. The event gave space for hundreds of child advocates, policy experts, our team and closest partners to process the results and consider strategy on the way forward, together.
In the opening plenary, which I moderated, we were challenged to embolden our advocacy for children and youth by Sharon Parrott, president of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus on Children, and Toni Maxwell, and ambassador in CDF’s Black Student Leadership Network. As Bruce Lesley noted based upon his team’s analysis, we’re now at a point where new proposals “represent an assault on pretty much every aspect of [young people’s] lives.”
It seems to me, it is our responsibility to see something a little bit bigger than what is now clouding our view. CDF commits to vision casting beyond this moment. There are those who believe there is one large, looming figure who will dominate politics for the next few years. There are many who cannot see the skyline beyond the White House. But we see a vision that is bigger than that building and that figure. Vision of a Beloved Community, marked by peace and justice where love is the governing ethic.
We are ambitious enough to believe this world is possible no matter who is in the White House. This belief is bolstered by the resilience of young people like Toni Maxwell, who shared that although many of her peers at the University of South Florida were disappointed by the election outcome, she and her friends are energized to fight for every young person in America to grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. “We need to use that energy, and we need to continue to educate ourselves,” she said. “We need to continue to educate our peers, our family members, and our friends.”
To face the challenge ahead, we will need new and renewed partnerships for policy research and training in our community to make sure we’re bringing the best arguments and advocacy to support young people. Together, we can achieve what we set out to accomplish, unleashing the joy in growing up for young people in every corner of the nation.
For our children,
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson
President & CEO
Children’s Defense Fund