Tell me about The Children’s Defense Fund.

It’s an advocacy organization born out of the civil rights movement. We are focused on ensuring that every child gets a healthy, fair, safe and moral start in life and success through adulthood. We do that by providing a strong voice for children. For the past forty years we have paid particular attention to the needs of poor, minority and children with disabilities.

How did you become involved with the organization?

I got a call one day from Marian Wright Edelman [founder of CDF]. She shared this amazing vision about the work needed to dismantle the cradle-to-prison pipeline. I started learning more about the policies and factors that drive children in New York into this fear system. It brought together all the work that I had been focused on for the last 20 years.

Describe your typical day.

I might meet with staff to brief on policy. I might do a conference call with local pastors on what’s happening with children in their neighborhood. I might end up at a rally in the South Bronx. It might extend into the evening, doing a workshop with parents helping them to understand their role in protecting their children from the cradle-to-prison pipeline. Typically it’s a long day, but the time goes by so fast.

What has been your biggest accomplishment since working with CDF?

What I am working on now. We are seeing that you have to make an investment in the communities that are feeding children into the cradle-to-prison pipeline. We are able to map out exactly where these children come from—the poorest neighborhoods with low-performing schools and high rates of admittance into detention centers. It makes sense then to invest in positive building of children in those neighborhoods. We still have a long way to go. Change happens in increments. But I see more and more of our public leaders embracing the idea that there is absolutely no way we are going to be successful if we do not invest in the neighborhoods where the most vulnerable children live. So, I am excited for what that means.

How has being a mother affected your work with the Children’s Defense Fund?

Being a mother has everything to do with my work. For me, I’m living one life and all of the issues that I am working on also affect my children. I get to see issues through their eyes. I’ll give a perfect example: on a policy level, we are grappling with the impact of zero-tolerance policies in schools. On the surface, it sounds wonderful for everyone to abide by these policies. Then I look at how my children have experienced the education system. It’s a reality check. It makes you see that, [in the case of] a lot of the things we are promoting on a policy level—on a real level, where kids are actually experiencing it, it does not work. So, my children keep it fresh for me.

How do you hope to counteract the effects of these policies that you feel are doing more harm than good?

One of the things that CDF is focusing on is promoting “freedom schools.” They are these amazing summer programs that stop learning loss. They are culturally-based and teach a love of reading. My children have been involved and to see the light bulb go off over their heads about their own ideas of vocation, of purpose, of career, and how they can have an impact in the world…it just brings it all home for me.

Speaking of your children, what are your favorite things to do with them in the city?

We love restaurants—everyone in the family is a critic. Also, at Christmas time, we get in the car and drive through the neighborhoods, like Dyker Heights, to see the decorations. It’s quiet in the car and we are just looking out at these houses, sparkling, and it’s a magical time for us. Also, the Coney Island aquarium and walking along the boardwalk. It’s a little kitschy, but that’s the kind of people we are. We like that nuttiness.

For more info, visit cdfny.org.

Photo: Rev. Dr. Emma Jordan-Simpson and family.