A National Celebration of Joy
November 5, 2025
MISSION
Children’s Defense Fund builds community so young people grow up with dignity, hope, and joy.
Children’s Defense Fund envisions a nation where marginalized children flourish, leaders prioritize their wellbeing, and communities wield the power to ensure they thrive.
Justice
VISION VALUES
Our roots in the Civil Rights Movement, especially the Mississippi Freedom Struggle and Poor People’s Campaign, inform our work. Transforming root causes of oppression and shifting power are essential for our vision.
Equity
Equity is just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Unlocking the promise of the nation by unleashing the promise in us all.
Compassion
We serve with humility, kindness, and urgency. By sharing and seeking empathy and understanding, we center people living at the margins.
Trust
We are transparent, accountable, and reliable. We earn and honor relationship by showing up consistently, listening deeply, and partnering to make change together.
Love
Love is a form of sweet labor: fierce, bloody, imperfect, and lifegiving—a choice we make over and over again. We practice, model, and teach it by prioritizing children.
SPONSORS
Bezos Family Foundation
Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation
Morgan Stanley
A NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF JOY CO-CHAIRS
Zack Boyers
Marty Rodgers Accenture
A NATIONAL CELEBRATION OF JOY HOST COMMITTEE
Rev. Dr. Don Darius Butler
The Concord Fellowship
Bryan Beasley
Marsh McLennan Agency
Lan Bentsen
Founder, Share Tomorrow
Rev. Thomas Bowen
Dr. Victoria Gholar
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Keecha Harris
Keecha Harris & Associates
Liz and Don Thompson
The Cafe Group
Daniel Welch
Morgan Stanley
Drs. LaToya and Starsky Wilson
CHILDREN’S DEFENSE FUND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Rev. Dr. Don Darius Butler, Chair Pastor, The Concord Fellowship
W. Clay Grubb, Treasurer CEO and Chairman, Grubb Properties
Dr. Deborah Jewell-Sherman Horner, Secretary
Gregory R. Anrig Professor of Practice, Emerita Harvard Graduate School of Education
Dakarai Aarons
Senior Director, Employee Philanthropy Programs, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
Zack Boyers
Chairman & CEO, US Bancorp Impact Finance
Annie Donovan
President and CEO, Raza Development Fund
Dr. Rhea Williams-Bishop Director of Mississippi and New Orleans Programs, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson
President & CEO, Children’s Defense Fund
MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT & CEO
Dear Friends,
Welcome to Children’s Defense Fund’s National Celebration of Joy 2025!
In a moment calling for bold vision and servant leadership, we are honored to gather with you for an extraordinary evening of inspiration, community, and purpose. A National Celebration of Joy—established in 2023 on the occasion of CDF’s 50th anniversary—is our signature fundraising event, lifting up the work, the people, and the spirit that drive our mission forward.
For more than five decades, Children’s Defense Fund has worked to ensure that young people grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. Tonight, we celebrate that legacy and the shared commitment of everyone in this room—advocates, partners, and supporters— who make that vision real every day.
At a dangerous moment when leaders are disinvesting in children’s health, nutrition, and public education, it’s movement time for child well-being in America. It is movement time for child advocacy in this nation. It’s movement time for all who care about making sure children and young people have the resources they need to thrive. Thank you for joining us as we move.
A National Celebration of Joy is a moment to reflect on all we’ve achieved together and to look ahead to all that remains possible, no matter how difficult the times. The funds raised tonight will build power in communities, advance policies that protect children and young people, and sustain programs that nurture their potential.
As we honor this year’s Advocates for Joy, we celebrate all those who champion justice, build community, and create spaces where children and young people can flourish. As we celebrate our first national recipient of the Samuel Halperin Youth Public Service Award, we honor the extraordinary contributions of young people in building beloved community for themselves, their peers, and future generations. Their work reminds us that joy is not a privilege—it is a right, a practice, and a form of resistance that inspires hope.
Thank you for joining this joyful movement. Your presence, generosity, and belief in our mission make all the difference. Together, in the face of any force marshaled to try to steal our joy, we are dancing and singing and caring and winning: it’s movement time.
For our children,
Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson President & CEO, Children’s Defense Fund
ORDER OF PROGRAM
MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES
Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Vice President & Chief Strategy Officer Children’s Defense Fund
BLESSING
The Reverend Dr. Don Darius Butler Chair, CDF Board of Directors Pastor, The Concord Fellowship
DINNER SERVICE
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
REMARKS
CLOSING
Brian Courtney Wilson Dove Award–Winning Gospel Artist
The Reverend Dr. Starsky Wilson President & CEO, Children’s Defense Fund
PRESENTATION OF AWARDS
Leeland Binckley
Samuel Halperin Youth Public Service Award
W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Accepted by La June Montgomery Tabron Advocate for Joy • Institutional
Cristina Jiménez Moreta Advocate for Joy • Child Advocate/Power Builder
The Honorable Bennie Thompson Advocate for Joy • Policymaker
Brittany Packnett Cunningham
AWARD DESIGNATIONS
THE SAMUEL HALPERIN YOUTH PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
The Samuel Halperin Youth Public Service Award was launched by the American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF) in 2015 to honor its founder, Samuel Halperin, and his deep commitment to young people impacted by systemic inequities. Historically, this award highlights the importance of ongoing policy support for opportunity youth—individuals aged 16-24 who are neither in school nor participating in the labor market—and recognizes the need to mentor, guide, and nurture our youth to commit to a life of public service.
When Children’s Defense Fund acquired AYPF, we reaffirmed our commitment to continuing this award, recognizing young people who exemplify resilience, dedication, and demonstrate a calling to public service.
THE ADVOCATE FOR JOY AWARD
Presented during national and regional Celebrations for Joy, the Advocate for Joy is Children’s Defense Fund’s highest honor. Initiated in 2023 as part of CDF’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations and Campaign, the designation honors servant leaders advancing the organization’s mission of building community so young people grow up with dignity, hope, and joy. Specific attention and consideration is given to policymakers, power-builders, child advocates and CDF alumni who have championed CDF’s public policy agenda and programmatic efforts over time leading to demonstrable impact in the lives of children, youth, and families.
Past National Recipients:
The Honorable Rosa DeLauro U.S. Representative (CT-3)
Derecka Purnell Attorney, Author, & Activist
Olivia Golden, PhD Former ACF Commissioner
Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota
Karen J. Pittman Founder and Former President and CEO, Forum for Youth Investment
Marty Rodgers
U.S. Health & Public Service Lead, Accenture. CDF BOD Emeritus
The Honorable Reverend Raphael Warnock, PhD.
U.S. Senator for Georgia
HONOREES
LEELAND BINCKLEY
Youth Advocate
Leeland Binckley is an exceptional young leader whose passion for transforming education and justice systems is rooted in lived experience and an unshakable commitment to equity. Guided by a deep belief in the power of youth voice, Leeland has dedicated himself to reimagining systems that too often fail the very young people they are designed to serve.
As an advocate and organizer, Leeland has worked to uplift young people whose experiences mirror his own—helping them to see their worth, develop their leadership, and use their voices to create lasting change. His leadership reflects a rare blend of insight, empathy, and courage, grounded in a vision of a world where every child has the opportunity to thrive free from systemic barriers.
Leeland’s work has earned him recognition as a change agent and trusted partner among peers and professionals alike. Whether speaking before policymakers, collaborating with community leaders, or shaping reform initiatives, he brings clarity, conviction, and a moral urgency that inspires action. His story is both a testament to resilience and a call to all of us—to listen to, invest in, and follow the brilliance of young leaders who are shaping a more just and compassionate future.
HONOREES
LA JUNE MONTGOMERY TABRON
President & CEO - Accepting on behalf of W.K. Kellogg Foundation
For decades, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation has championed children, families, and racial equity. Its partnership with CDF reflects a shared vision: advancing children’s health, education, and well-being nationwide.
La June Montgomery Tabron is president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan, one of the largest private foundations in the United States. Since joining the Kellogg Foundation in 1987, Tabron has risen to become the organization’s first woman and first African American chief executive, leading work to support thriving children, working families, and equitable communities.
Currently, Tabron serves on the board of Kellanova and chairs the W.K. Kellogg Foundation Trust. She also serves on other boards, including Battle Creek Community Health Partners, Bronson Healthcare Group, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), and the Teachers Insurance and Annuity Association of America-College Retirement Equities Fund (TIAA).
Tabron holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in business administration from Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management. She is a certified public accountant.
HONOREES
CRISTINA JIMÉNEZ MORETA
Co-founder, United We Dream and Best-selling Author, “Dreaming of Home”
Cristina Jiménez Moreta is an award-winning community organizer, bestselling author, and a leading voice in movements for social justice. She is Co-Founder and former Executive Director of United We Dream (UWD), the largest immigrant youth-led organization in the country. Cristina has led multiple national and local campaigns for immigrant justice, playing a leadership role in the campaign to win and implement the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program (DACA).
A distinguished lecturer at the City University of New York, Jiménez was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and was named one of Time 100’s most influential people. Her USA Today bestselling debut memoir Dreaming of Home was published in May 2025. She came to the US from Ecuador in 1998 and grew up undocumented in Queens, New York.
HONOREES
REPRESENTATIVE BENNIE THOMPSON U.S. Representative (MS-02)
A proud native of Bolton, Mississippi, Congressman Bennie G. Thompson was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1993. Now in his 17th term representing Mississippi’s Second Congressional District, he is the state’s longest-serving African American elected official and its only Democratic member of Congress.
Rooted by his experiences as a former member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and his early work with Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, Congressman Thompson has spent his career championing civil rights, quality education, veterans’ issues, rural development, and healthcare access. He authored legislation creating the National Center for Minority Health and Health Care Disparities and helped deliver more than $237 million in pandemic relief to Mississippi’s HBCUs. He also advanced heirs’ property reform to strengthen Black landownership and economic security.
Congressman Thompson has served on key committees, including Agriculture, Budget, and Small Business, and notably chaired the House Committee on Homeland Security (2007–2011, 2019–2023). In 2021, he led the Select Committee investigating the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol, producing a historic, bipartisan report to defend democracy.
A lifetime member of Asbury United Methodist Church and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., he holds degrees from Tougaloo College and Jackson State University. He and his wife, London, have been married 54 years and share one daughter and two grandchildren. His decades of service—recognized by honors including the NAACP Chairman’s Award (2023) and the Presidential Citizens Medal (2025)— reflect a legacy rooted in integrity, courage, and an unwavering commitment to the people he serves.
BRITTANY
PACKNETT CUNNINGHAM Principal, Love & Power Works | Host, UNDISTRACTED Podcast
Brittany Packnett Cunningham is a leader at the intersection of culture, justice, and policy. Known globally for her gripping oration, her TED Talk The Revolution of Confidence has been viewed nearly 8 million times and translated into 22 languages. She hosts and executive produces the acclaimed podcast UNDISTRACTED on The Meteor Network, and serves as Founder and Principal of Love & Power Works, where she leads transformative social impact projects across industries, partnering with global leaders and brands like Gucci, BET, Olay, and P&G. Previously, she served as BET’s Vice President of Social Impact, launching BET Thrive to advance Black wellness, civic engagement, and justice.
Most recently, Brittany was named Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Children’s Defense Fund, after years of serving in a volunteer capacity as a member of the board of directors for both CDF and CDF Action Council. A former educator and policy aide, Brittany has served on President Obama’s 21st Century Policing Task Force, Missouri’s Ferguson Commission, and cofounded Campaign Zero. Her work has been featured in Essence, TIME, British Vogue, and The Washington Post, and she has received honors from President Obama, Marie Claire, and The National Urban League.
She lives in the Washington, DC, area with her husband, Reginald, and their sons.
SPECIAL GUEST
BRIAN COURTNEY WILSON
Dove Award-Winning Gospel Recording Artist
Brian Courtney Wilson is a modern Gospel messenger—an evolved voice of faith and intellect who bridges humanity and divinity with grace and conviction. A Chicago native and Missouri City, TX resident, Wilson is a multiple Stellar, Dove, and ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Award winner, with Grammy®, NAACP Image, and Billboard Music Award nominations. Since his 2009 debut Just Love, he has become one of today’s premier inspirational voices, known for his rich, soulful tone reminiscent of Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Winans.
His fifth studio album, Still, arrives as a timely reflection on faith amid uncertainty— acknowledging anxiety and fear while offering hope. The project features powerful reinterpretations of classics like Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) and The Winans’ Ain’t No Need to Worry with Maranda Curtis, alongside originals such as Still, Merciful and Mighty, and Fear Is Not Welcome. Through each, Wilson reminds listeners that stillness is not inaction but faithful resolve—trusting God while doing the work we’re called to do.
A graduate of the University of Illinois and former corporate professional, Wilson’s artistry reflects both intellect and anointing. With every project, he continues to uplift humanity, standing as a voice of, and for, the people.
SPECIAL GUEST
DJ BEAUTY & THE BEATZ
Celebrity DJ
Las Vegas-born and DC-raised, DJ Beauty and the Beatz was exposed to music before she could even crawl and realized her love for beats and lyrics at an early age. By 6 years old, she began recognizing samples used by different artists and shouting “air” suggestions to the local radio DJ to play certain songs together based on their similarities. While her father exposed her to music, it was her mother who introduced her to the idea of becoming a DJ. By 8 years old, Beauty and the Beatz was spinning at schools, Las Vegas Boys and Girls clubs, and local Vegas teen gatherings. It was actually her talent that led her family to relocate to Washington, DC, sacrificing everything to give Beauty and the Beatz a better chance by surrounding her with other child entertainers.
Now a Miami resident and 23 years old, DJ Beauty and the Beatz travels the country doing what she loves. With a style that ranges from Hip Hop, Pop, and Top 40’s, to various electronic genres, Reggae, and House, the young disc jockey is driven by a desire to hypnotize her audience with an eclectic sound and satisfy their musical needs. She’s performed for and alongside many celebrities, including former President and First Lady Obama, Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Meagan Good, Big Sean, and Doug E Fresh. She’s also built a portfolio of well-known corporate clients, including Sony, Target, Colgate, Toyota, Lexus, McDonald’s, Amazon, B.E.T, VH1, ESSENCE Music Festival, Verizon, and the US National Women’s Soccer Team.
