Dear John,

Last week’s release of The State of America’s Children^® 2021 sent a clear message: even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, we were failing to provide our children with even the basic building blocks for success. Children remain the poorest age group in this country, millions of children are unhoused or at risk of homelessness, and too many children lack access to nutritious food. Black, Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native children are also particularly vulnerable to vast inequities caused by systemic racism, which means they attend segregated and underfunded schools, are at an increased risk of being incarcerated, and are more likely to be impacted by the child welfare system.

The data in this report indicate that too many of our children do not have what they need to live the childhood they deserve—and they serve as an urgent call to action. Will you sign up to be a Rapid Defender and join us on the front lines for children?

Because the truth is that the state of America’s children is anything but stagnant. Every day, we have the power to fight for our country’s children. The state of America’s children is in our hands.

Sign up today to be a Children’s Defense Fund Rapid Defender and you’ll be the first to hear about opportunities to stand up for our country’s kids. We’re fighting to ensure that each year is a better year for children than the one before—and we can’t do it without you.

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