In this episode, co-host Bruce Lesley chats with Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), chair of the Dads Caucus. Rep. Gomez launched the Dads Caucus after a photo of him holding and caring for his son Hodge on the House floor went viral. Rep. Gomez talks about moms have been the “default parent” and the importance of fathers stepping up for kids both at home and in Congress.

Learn more about the Dads Caucus: https://gomez.house.gov/dadscaucus/

Article: Dads in Congress reflect on working in Washington while making sure 'kids come first',

ByJay O'Brien and Arthur Jones II

Article: They’re Not Just Dads, They’re Congressional Dads, By Marc Tracy

Video: Invest in Kids Briefing with the Dads, Mamas, and Baby Caucuses and First Focus on Children, Zero to Three, and the Children’s Defense Fund

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Send us comments on thoughts via email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus

Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here.

To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, co-host Bruce Lesley chats with Mike Hixenbaugh, a senior investigative reporter for NBC News about the ongoing attacks on public schools across the country. They discuss Hixenbaugh’s new book, “They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms,” which documents the culture wars in Southlake and Grapevine, Texas. Hixenbaugh argues that challenges to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and critical race theory (CRT) stem from resistance to dealing with racism and repeat previous patterns in our society. Hixenbaugh compares the current attacks on public education by groups such as “Moms for Liberty” with prior movements, such as efforts to stop the teaching of evolution, opposition to desegregation of public schools, and groups like Phyllis Schlafly’s “Eagle Forum,” which waged a campaign to purge classrooms of books and curriculums that they deemed anti-God, anti-American, and anti-family. In the podcast, Hixenbaugh also discusses why he centered the students as the protagonists in his book.

Learn more about attacks on public education:

Book: They Came for the Schools: One Town's Fight Over Race and Identity, and the New War for America's Classrooms, By Mike Hixenbaugh

Book Review: Texas Schools at a Crossroads: Identity, Politics, and Public Education in Hixenbaugh's 'They Came for the Schools', By Bruce Lesley

Newsletter: The Alliance for Student Liberty, By Lily Klam

Article: When Conservative Parents Revolt, By Mike Hixenbaugh

Blog: Texans Standing Up for Their Students and Public Schools, By Bruce Lesley

Podcasts: Southlake and Grapevine, By Mike Hixenbaugh and Antonia Hylton

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Send us comments on thoughts via email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus

Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, co-host Messellech Looby chats with Academy Award-nominated actor Taraji P. Henson about the complexities and opportunities around supporting Black youth in the midst of the country’s current mental health crisis. Henson created The Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in memory of her late father, who struggled with mental health challenges after returning from the Vietnam War. The foundation promotes mental health awareness and destigmatizing mental illness within the Black community by uplifting culturally relevant mental health support. The foundation’s Executive Director, Tracie Jade, joins the conversation to discuss its efforts to promote mental health awareness and support within marginalized communities.

Learn more about the youth mental health crisis:

• Fact Sheet: Children’s Mental Health, First Focus on Children
• Testimony: Taraji P. Henson on Mental Health, C-SPAN
• Article: Black Adolescent Suicide Rate Reveals Urgent Need to Address Mental Health Care Barriers, Pew

To join the conversation, follow First Focus on Children on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Send us comments on thoughts via email: SpeakingOfKids@firstfocus.org

Find us on Twitter/X: @SpeakingOfKids, @BruceLesley and @First_Focus

Want to be a voice for kids? Become an Ambassador for Children here.

To support our work and this podcast, please consider donating to First Focus on Children here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.