There aren’t many things that can get me out of the bed before 6:30 in the morning, but this past Tuesday, I was up and out of the bed and eager to start my day…I was going to the 18th Annual Interfaith/Intercultural Breakfast hosted by California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ).
Why was I eager? Because the keynote speaker would be Marian Wright Edelman. Who is she? Mrs. Edelman is the Founder and President of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF). She is the foremost child advocate of our modern era in the U.S., and one of the most recognized and revered in the world. Maragaret Kohut, President of CCEJ, called her a “Treasured Heroine.” To learn more about Edelman’s remarkable life, click here.
To begin with, this was not my first time hearing Mrs. Edelman speak. The last time I heard her speak was in June 2006, in an auditorium on the campus of the University of Tennessee with 1,200 other people from around the United States. We came together to be trained on a CDF program called “Freedom Schools.” The impression Mrs. Edelman left on my mind and heart fed a fire that had already been lit by previous CDF trainings. Since then, I have been waiting to hear her speak again, and this time it would be in my hometown of Long Beach! So, to the breakfast….
Gene Lenezter, the benefactor and the treasurer of CCEJ stated that this event had the largest attendance ever. 1,160 people were in attendance; 144 of them were children. I have had an opportunity to attend several CCEJ Interfaith Breakfasts, but I know without a doubt this one was the best for me.
Former Mayor Beverly O’Neil told the attendees how Mrs. Edelman was a constant reminder to the U.S. Conference of Mayors of their responsibility to the youth in their respective cities. She referred to Edelman as a passionate, compassionate, and a well-loved children’s advocate.
Mrs. Edelman shared the devastating statistics of violence among our youth population:
• Every 33 seconds a child is born into poverty.
• Every 35 seconds a child is abused or neglected.
• Every 39 seconds a child is born without health insurance.
• Every 3 hours a child is killed by a gun.
She told us what our youth need most is adult affirmation. For those of us who did not already know, we learned that the state of California spends four times more on prisoners per capita than on public school students. She continued on to state, “Children need a voice for justice,” and, “Our failure to invest in our children will topple us as a nation.” She also reminded us of our responsibility toward our children and warned of the consequences we will face if we don’t act now. “We are sentencing ourselves to economic death, if our children can’t read or compute,” she said. Lastly, she propounded a call for action and encouraged us all to call our California legislative leaders and tell them to support the “All Healthy Children Act.”
I believe Mrs. Edelman’s message was long overdue in the city of Long Beach. Each week we read of the youth violence that has taken place in our city. Yet, many of us stand idly by waiting for someone else to do something. I left the breakfast encouraged yet, asking myself am I doing my part to be voice for the children in the city? So, I pose a simple question…what are you doing to invest in our children?
Coming soon: The History and Success of Long Beach CDF Freedom Schools ®
The Children’s Defense Fund Leave No Child Behind® mission is to ensure every child a Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start and a Moral Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities. To learn more go to childrendefense.org.