The 2021 Virtual Advocacy Summit: Invest in Children, Transform the Future, which aired on July 12-13, 2021, was full of inspirational speakers, information about the policies and programs that have the potential to transform millions of lives, and tips on how your advocacy can make a difference. Watch the two-day program in the videos below.
During the Summit, Rev. Eugene Cho reminded us why we must continue to do the hard work of advocacy: Every human matters to God and is made in God’s image, we need a bold Christian witness during this time of distress, and when we come together, we do make a difference.
Bread for the World’s Board of Directors
Kate Pringle, Chair
Heather Hardinger, Vice Chair
Rev. Carlos Malavé, Secretary
Mike Goorhouse, Treasurer
Rev. Eugene Cho, President and CEO, Bread for the World
Introduction of Clergy: Rev. Nancy Neal, Director of Faith Engagement, Bread for the World
Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, President and CEO, Children’s Defense Fund
Wilson is a pastor, philanthropist and activist pursuing God’s vision of community marked by justice, peace and love. He is Board Chair for the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy and Vice Chair of the Forum for Theological Exploration.
Moderator: Rev. Eugene Cho, President and CEO, Bread for the World
Panelists:
Jordan Teague, Interim Co-Director, Policy Analysis & Coalition Building, Bread for the World
Sergio Mata-Cisneros, Interim Co-Director, Policy Analysis & Coalition Building, Bread for the World
Nicole Schmidt, Regional Organizer, Bread for the World
Asma Lateef, Policy and Advocacy Lead (Agriculture) at SDG2 Advocacy Hub
Emira Woods, Senior Advisor, Shine and Associate Fellow, Institute for Policy Studies
The conversation centered around domestic and global perspectives on key investments in child nutrition programs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially programs that target the critical 1,000-day period between a woman’s pregnancy and her child’s second birthday.
Speaker: Shane Claiborne
Claiborne is a Christian activist and author who is a leading figure in the New Monasticism movement and one of the founding members of the non-profit organization, The Simple Way, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Members of Congress Video Message
U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), Chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Nutrition, House Committee on Agriculture.
Members of Congress Video Message
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Member of House Committee on Agriculture
Staff members from Bread for the World’s Government Relations team discussed this year’s legislative priorities: funding for global nutrition and permanently expanding the Child Tax Credit.
Two Capitol Hill staffers also joined the conversation to provide perspective and offer advice.
Rev. Eugene Cho, President and CEO, Bread for the World
Matt Gross and Heather L. Taylor, Co-Managing Directors, Bread for the World
Christine Tamara, Partner Engagement Director, Hispanic Access Foundation
Welcome and Opening
Dulce Gamboa, Senior Associate for Catholic Latino Engagement, Bread for the World
Rev. Dr. Angelique Walker-Smith, Senior Associate for Pan African and Orthodox Church Engagement, Bread for the World
After centuries of structural engagement, protests, and policy reforms led by Latino and Pan African peoples, those communities still experience disproportionately high percentages of hunger and poverty today. The session celebrates the hope, faith, and resistance of African, Latinos, and African/Latino-descended people, while also lamenting the evil and horror of enslavement, and a common history of racism and inequitable policies which are still present today.
Presenters:
Rev. Robert Chao Romero, Co-founder of Jesus 4 Revolutionaries, a Christian ministry for activists, as well as the co-chair of the Matthew 25 Movement in Southern California.
Collins Kudakwashe Shava, Executive Secretary for Youth at All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC- CETA), Nairobi, Kenya
"The good leave an inheritance to their children’s children..."
Human capital is a society’s most valuable economic asset.
Aligning policies that impact the first 1,000 days of a child's life will create better outcomes for all children.
Climate Change Worsens Hunger in Latino/a Communities
“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him and established in faith.” These words from Colossians 2:6 remind us of the faith that is active in love for our neighbors.
The Bible on...
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is designed to respond to changes in need, making it well suited to respond to crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bread for the World and its partners are asking Congress to provide $200 million for global nutrition.
In 2017, 11.8 percent of households in the U.S.—40 million people—were food-insecure, meaning that they were unsure at some point during the year about how they would provide for their next meal.