CDF’s Samuel Dewitt Proctor Institute: Centering on Children

I met Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), at Howard University in the early 2000s. As a young teacher, I would often study at Howard University to connect me to the energy and positivity that made me love the university so much. One random Thursday while on campus, I saw a flyer advertising that Mrs. Wright Edelman would be speaking in the Blackburn Center. I had heard her name before and had heard of the CDF, but I did not know the full scope of its work. I was blown away by her philosophy and outlook on what should happen for Black children and children all over the planet: She gave context to my struggle as a teacher.

Having attended the 29th Annual Samuel Dewitt Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry, some 20 years after hearing and meeting Mrs. Edelman, I can see she her indelible impression on the organization. This institute, held by CDF at its Alex Haley Farm in Clinton, Tennessee, is a time for faith leaders and activists to come together to pray about, strategize, and organize their pursuit for justice for children and their families. The CDF staff was excellent, and the Alex Haley Farm is breathtaking and awe inspiring (more on that later).

The theme of this year’s institute, “Freedom Faith at 50,” in honor of the organization’s 50th anniversary, seemed to center on inclusiveness, as all the ministers who took the podium touched on the need for a love that includes all of God’s children. In a world that is so divided and disunited, we must constantly remind the Body of Christ of what Jesus requires of us.

As an educator, it was great to learn about Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall, one of the leaders of CDF’s Black Church Initiative who is described as “a theologian, activist, organizer and child defender.” Much more needs to be written about the unsung heroes of the African struggle for justice in the United States. I was overwhelmed and enthused when Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, CDF’s President and CEO, announced that the Proctor Institute would include Hall’s name moving forward in how it chooses who to help, support and love. This “village” message resonated with me and seemingly everyone at the institute. The most joyous part of the Proctor Institute for me as an educator and parent is the centering of children. I grow weary of conferences that talk support for children but do not include children or acknowledge their voice. Centering children in a culminating event was the icing on the cake of a great conference! The children of those attending the Proctor Institute who were enrolled in its Freedom School Program were energetic, confident, boisterous and reassuring. With the Alex Haley Farm serving as the backdrop of a living breathing reminder of our heritage, the children of the Haley Farm were a glimpse into our magnificent future. The Proctor institute is the perfect nexus of faith, inclusivity and support for children.

Desmond Williams, President/CEO of

School Solutions LLC