Alex Johnson moderated a moving panel on the cause and consequences of child poverty during the open plenary session at the 2015 Samuel Dewitt Proctor Child Advocacy Institute this past July. The annual event, held every summer at CDF Haley Farm in Tennessee, brings together a diverse range of advocates and faith leaders for a week of spiritual renewal, networking, movement-building workshops, and continuing education about the urgent needs of children at the intersection of race and poverty. Randolph Burleson, Daniel Tejada, and Itang Young, the three young panelists and alumni of the Beat the Odds Scholarship program, spoke eloquently about their experiences growing up poor in America – and the caring adults and generous programs that helped them build bright futures.
Said Alex Johnson: “Thank you to the three amazing young adult leaders who spoke passionately and deliberately about one of the most critical and overlooked public policy issues impacting our communities.”