Join Children’s Defense Fund for our 29th Annual Samuel DeWitt Proctor Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry on July 17-20. Hosted annually on the storied grounds of CDF Haley Farm in Clinton, TN, the Proctor Institute is where faith leaders and activists sing and pray, strategize and struggle, organize and advocate. This powerful event refreshes and renews faith leaders so we can continue the hard, hopeful, sacred work of pursuing justice for children and their families.
This year’s theme, “Freedom Faith at 50,” will honor CDF’s 50th anniversary and celebrate the memory and ministry of one of the establishing leaders of CDF’s Black Church Initiative, the late Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall. A fearless leader, theologian, activist, organizer, and child defender, Hall envisioned a community where adults embrace and prioritize America’s children and youth. CDF’s Proctor Institute does just that. On the Farm at Proctor, young people are active participants in the pursuit of justice. Faith leaders are equipped to address children’s concerns in their communities. Dr. Hall underscored this need in her sermon at the 1998 CDF Institute for Child Advocacy Ministry, when she mused, “Perhaps the most difficult way for adults to receive children is to listen to them.”
During this year’s Institute, we will:
Reflect on our journey: Rev. Courtney Pace, Ph.D., author of Freedom Faith: The Womanist Vision of Prathia Hall, will serve as Historian-in-Residence. Pace's biography of Hall recounts her journey from organizing with Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee to encouraging young people at Haley Farm to “stoke the fires of freedom’s faith.” Dr. Pace will speak on Hall's legacy and the critical role of African American women in the movement for child well-being.
Learn from great minds: Daily plenaries on policy for everyone will join the Dale P. Andrews Freedom Seminary, where seminarians spend the week engaging with faculty from across the country. Dr. Patrick Reyes, of the Forum for Theological Exploration, and Dr. Lorena Parrish, of Wesley Theological Seminary, will serve as co-deans of the Freedom Seminary.
Renew ourselves as Beloved Community: Rhonda Magee, JD, Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and author of The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness. Professor Magee will lead morning meditations. Families with children can fully engage in the Institute sessions as children spend the week experiencing the power of the CDF Freedom Schools® program.
Click here to learn more about CDF’s Proctor Institute and watch for the 2023 registration announcement and list of featured speakers coming soon!
As we close out Black History Month and welcome Women’s History Month this March, we honor those like Rev. Dr. Prathia Hall. As we continue the work of listening to America’s children and youth, we are building a future where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive. Join us in this work.