BALTIMORE, MD — On Monday, Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the national youth advocacy organization Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), will visit Baltimore to hear directly from children, families, and community members about the pressing mental health challenges they face, as well as the local solutions they envision for a healthier future.
The upcoming visit is a key stop on an extensive, multi-state listening tour aimed at informing CDF’s broader policy advocacy efforts and empowering parents, caregivers, and young people to drive meaningful, positive change within their own communities. Dr. Wilson’s itinerary in Baltimore centers on a town hall meeting at the Historic Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary School, located at 507 W. Preston St., which serves as a site for The Y in Central Maryland’s Baltimore CDF Freedom Schools program.
During the visit, Dr. Wilson will meet directly with parents, caregivers, and students to discuss how young people are navigating their emotional and psychological landscapes. Through this local partnership with The Y in Central Maryland, the CDF Freedom Schools program helps children and young people across the Baltimore area build essential literacy, leadership, and social-emotional skills while actively preventing summer learning loss.
Monday’s event in Baltimore builds upon a robust schedule of town halls and listening sessions that Dr. Wilson has conducted across the country. He has already participated in similar community discussions in major urban centers including Charlotte, Chicago, Little Rock, and Oakland. These gatherings are part of an ongoing national initiative; CDF has held executive listening sessions with families at CDF Freedom Schools since 2022, spanning 13 states to date.
The overarching theme guiding CDF’s national work this year revolves around a critical, foundational question: "Are the Children Well?" By posing this question, the organization seeks to elevate and advance vital discussions concerning the mental health and social-emotional wellness of America’s young people. This focus has taken on a heightened sense of urgency as communities nationwide begin confronting the tangible impacts of federal policy changes, specifically Congress’s decision last year to implement cuts to healthcare and nutrition spending across the United States.
At previous stops along the listening tour, parents, caregivers, and youth have candidly shared what is working and where systems are failing in their communities. Participants have engaged in deep dialogues about what it takes to raise children with dignity, hope, and joy despite systemic hurdles. By mapping out local barriers alongside potential pathways to change, community members are directly fueling a broader, national movement dedicated to child well-being.
The town hall event in Baltimore is scheduled for Monday from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. EST at the Historic Samuel Coleridge-Taylor Elementary School. The program will feature CDF Freedom Schools scholars alongside Dr. Wilson. Reporters, media personnel, and community advocates are invited to join Dr. Wilson and The Y in Central Maryland scholars for the afternoon town hall meeting to observe the discussions firsthand.
The Children’s Defense Fund has long worked to build community so that young people can grow up surrounded by dignity, hope, and joy. Founded in 1973, CDF envisions a nation where marginalized children are able to flourish, where leaders consistently prioritize their health and well-being, and where local communities wield the power necessary to ensure that every young person thrives. As the only national, multi-issue advocacy organization working precisely at the intersection of child well-being and racial justice, CDF advances the interests of America’s most diverse generation—comprising the 74 million children and youth under the age of 18 and 30 million young adults under the age of 25.
CDF’s grassroots movements within marginalized communities are designed to build tangible power for child-centered public policy, informed directly by racial equity and the lived experiences of children and youth. Its renowned CDF Freedom Schools program operates in nearly 100 cities spread across 30 states and territories, providing a safe, enriching environment where young minds can grow and develop during the summer months and beyond.
For media inquiries regarding the Baltimore visit, John Henry, Media Relations Manager for the Children’s Defense Fund, can be contacted at [email protected] or by phone at 708-646-7679. Additional information about the organization’s ongoing initiatives, policy advocacy, and Freedom Schools network can be found on the official Children’s Defense Fund website.
