The event

Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, president and CEO of the renowned Children’s Defense Fund and CDF Action Council, will be the guest speaker from 1 to 3 pm on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Spiritus Christi Church, 121 Fitzhugh North, Rochester, NY, 14614.

Through Dr. Wilson’s address, “Our Hope for Years to Come: Toward a Vision of Child Well-Being,” audience members will learn more about the nation’s strongest voice for children and its vision for the future. Rev. Myra Brown, pastor of Spiritus Christi Church and founder of the Spiritus Anti-Racism Coalition, will also speak, along with other community members.

Fundraiser for a Rochester Civil Rights Heritage Park

The Spiritus Anti-Racism Coalition is sponsoring the talk as a fundraiser for the Minister Franklin D. Florence Civil Rights Heritage Park, within Baden Park in Rochester. Pastor Myra Brown has long advocated for a Civil Rights park as a way to tell the stories and “unmute” the voices of those who led the Rochester Black Freedom Struggle. The park is being designed by sculptor Vinnie Bagwell, an American sculptor, author, and columnist who has won public-art commissions and awards throughout the United States.

Ticket prices

Tickets will be $25 for general admission; $30 for families; $10 for students. There will be an additional fee for a VIP reception after the event, with a limit of 70 guests. Donations for the Minister Franklin D. Florence Civil Rights Heritage Park are also encouraged.

Background: Dr. Wilson, the CDF, and Marian Wright Edelman

Dr. Wilson is formerly pastor of St. John’s Church in St. Louis and CEO of the Deaconess Foundation, a faith-based philanthropic organization for childhood well-being and racial justice in St. Louis. Also under his leadership, the Deaconess Center for Child Well-Being was established . And after the police killing of Michael Brown, Jr., Dr. Wilson was appointed co-chair of the Ferguson Commission, which released the ‘Forward Through Ferguson: A Path Toward Racial Equity’ Report, calling for sweeping changes in policing, the courts, child well-being and economic mobility in 2015.

The Children’s Defense Fund was founded in 1973 by the legendary Marian Wright Edelman, who has advocated during her entire career for disadvantaged children and their families. Ms Edelman, the first Black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, started the organization after working with a range of initiatives that advocate for healthy children and families. She served, for example, as counsel for the Poor People’s Campaign, begun by Martin Luther King Jr.

The CDF, according to its website, “envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their well-being, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive.”