Children's Defense Fund

THE CHILDREN's DEFENSE Fund (CDF) was established more than 30 years ago in 1973 with the mission to Leave No Child Behind, by giving each child a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral Start through caring communities and families (the phrase No Child Left Behind was later employed as the name for the 2002 Education Act, with which it has no connection).

Based in Washington, D.C., the CDF aims to represent all of America's children, no matter how disadvantaged or disempowered they may be. The 2004 Annual Report states that “CDF provides a strong, effective voice for all the children of America who cannot vote, lobby, or speak for themselves. We pay particular attention to the needs of poor and minority children and those with disabilities. CDF educates the nation about the needs of children and encourages preventive investment before they get sick or into trouble, drop out of school, or suffer family breakdown.” It also notes how the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the campaigns to counter terrorism have been used to deflect and marginalize social criticism. The increase in child poverty and mortality in the United States, for example, has received very little attention.

The CDF is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, which is supported by donations from corporations, organizations, and individuals, as well as bequests and sale of assets and other activities. Total net assets reached $49 million in 2004. Activities pursued by the CDF include research and publication with policy advocacy. This is credited, in part, with successful implementation [Page 156]of legislation relating to the treatment of children and their mental and physical well-being. Publications of the center promote children's health and development, family income, and employment prospects, while outreach programs are aimed at engaging with faith-based and other organizations to forge partnerships supportive of the overall goals.

CDF Freedom Schools is an initiative inspired by the American civil rights movement, which led to its 1993 launch of programs featuring literacy, conflict resolution, and social interaction that now serve 5,500 children annually. College-level interns and staff facilitate these educational programs, which are aimed at children aged 5 to 18 and operate in 40 cities for five- to eight-week sessions.

The CDF's Haley Farm is a center located on a 157acre site that once belonged to the author Alex Haley. There, young people and activists are able to meet and study new methods of becoming the servant leaders who can help lead the way toward spiritual and political freedom. The Action Council provides a center for campaigning and advocacy.

The Beat the Odds Program was started in 1990 as a means of celebrating the potential of teenagers, who are so often characterized in the popular media as victims or troublemakers. It works with local and community leaders to help recognize outstanding achievements by young people, whether academic, social, or creative in nature.

Marian Wright Edelman, who has a long and successful career as a lawyer and advocate for disadvantaged Americans, founded the CDF. She was the first black woman to be admitted to the Mississippi Bar and worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign, among many other achievements. The CDF has become very successful in promoting children's rights in America. An influential early employee of the organization was Hillary Rodham Clinton.

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