Did You Know?
Did you know a child shot earlier this month at a New
Orleans Mother’s Day parade had been shot less than a year earlier on his 10th
birthday? How can we allow this culture of gun violence to continue in
America?
in this edition
Children and teens in Louisiana are among the most at-risk for
gun violence in the nation. How have
state legislators responded? By
introducing 19 bills to protect guns,
not children. That’s why our office in
New Orleans set up a “Protect Children, Not Guns” display table in the Capitol
Rotunda for two days this month and used the opportunity to educate legislators
and advocates by sharing CDF’s gun fact sheets. Some of the legislators left the tables wearing CDF's “Protect Children,
Not Guns” buttons.
Five months after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School a child
or teen is shot by a gun every 30 minutes, and yet Congress has failed to pass
any common sense gun safety legislation to protect children, not guns.
Here’s What You Can Do:
- Make your presence known! Follow the example of our Louisiana office, set up a table in your state capitol and hand out “Protect Children, Not Guns” bumper stickers and buttons and “The Truth About Guns” fact sheet. Order yours today.
- Blog about it! Join CDF, MomsRising.org and others for a blog carnival on June 14, the sixth anniversary of the Sandy Hook massacre.
- Watch and share the stories of those personally affected by gun violence with our new video series “Faces of Courage.” Please contact us if you would like to share your story.
- Read and share Marian Wright Edelman’s powerful column “Numb –Spiritually Dead – Nation” which documents the story of Ka’Nard Allen, the 10 year-old shot twice in less than a year.
Organize a Children’s Sabbath Service
Want to make a difference for children in your
community? If you are a member of a
faith community, you can begin organizing a Children’s Sabbath celebration as
part of our National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths® weekend, October 18 –
20. Whether you are a layperson or a religious leader, start organizing now
using our newly published resources around this year’s theme, “Beating Swords
Into Plowshares: Ending the Violence of Guns and Child Poverty.”
Youth Spotlight: Michael Tubbs
Raised by a single mother, with his father in prison,
Michael Tubbs was determined to make a difference and determined to stay out of the Cradleto Prison Pipeline™. He went on to become
a Truman Scholar, graduating with bachelor's and master's degrees from Stanford University last
spring and becoming the youngest City Council member in Stockton, California’s
history last fall. But that hardly scratches the surface of why we celebrate
Michael—his work with youth in his home city has been unrelenting, teaching
them the leadership, civic engagement, and social justice principles he learned
as a part of CDF’s Young Advocate Leadership Training (YALT®)
program.
Next
month Michael will share his story and insights as a panelist during the
CDF-ETS Achievement Gap Symposium, “Black Male Teens: Moving to Success in the
High School Years.” Learn more about the
unique challenges facing young Black men and examine the most effective
practices schools and communities should adopt in order to help close
achievement gaps and foster college and career success. Waiting list only available for the
Washington, D.C. event on June 24.
Early Learning Day of Action
The President has laid the groundwork for an important historic
investment in early learning. Now it’s up to us to make sure it happens. Join us in the Strong Start for Children
campaign for a day of action next week to support investments to ensure our
youngest, most vulnerable children are ready to learn. On June 5, participate
in a blog carnival, write letters to the editor and op-eds, and join in a tweetchat
with the experts, including Secretary of Education Arne Duncan from 2 p.m. – 3
p.m. Contact your members of Congress TODAY and let them know you support the
President’s Early Learning and Child Development Initiative.
Beat the Odds® Program
Growing up hungry and homeless first in Mexico and then in the United States, Maria Cruz Mendiola has persevered
and now hopes to help others. Maria remembers waking up one night while
living in a cardboard box and “telling myself that I needed to do
something more for the world.” She aims to be a doctor involved in
international activism. Maria is one of four extraordinary youth
celebrated earlier this month by CDF-Minnesota through their Beat the Odds scholarship and leadership development program. Check out the stories of these amazing youths with their video biographies, produced by our long-time friends at We Are Fallon. Next week, CDF-Texas will celebrate their own set of heroes and sheroes at an awards luncheon in Houston. Donate to support the Beat the Odds scholarship and leadership development program.
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