OUR STORY

It began with a question and a conviction: "Where are the people of faith when decisions that impact our children are being made?"

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In the summer of 2001, a small circle of child advocates in Atlanta dared to imagine something big, something bold. What if people of faith, across all traditions, could unite and take a public stand for Georgia’s children? What if the moral power of the pulpit could be used not only to preach but to protect?

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Inspired by conversations with the Children’s Defense Fund, the group began planning Atlanta’s first Interfaith Children’s Sabbath Celebration. But before they launched, they said, “Let’s begin with prayer. Real change must be rooted in sacred ground.”

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The vision for a Call to Action Prayer Breakfast emerged. Six planners became twelve. Twelve became dozens. And when Marian Wright Edelman, legendary founder of the Children’s Defense Fund, said yes to delivering the keynote, something began to stir. A spark caught fire.

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On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, 2001, over 300 child advocates and faith leaders gathered in Atlanta to hear Dr. Edelman call them to action. They prayed. They wept. They made a holy promise to work together, across faith lines, to confront the devastation children face daily in Georgia. As they left that gathering, committed to interfaith collaboration, they learned of the devastation striking the nation. The twin traumas of that morning were both personal and collective, and became sacred ground for their interfaith work ahead. It was a moment etched in history for our nation, and for our state.

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From that day forward, something unstoppable began to rise.

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The Interfaith Children’s Movement (ICM) of Metropolitan Atlanta was born. I was not just as an annual event, but as a movement. An interfaith Steering Committee formed. Partners rallied. Emory University’s Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic offered staffing. The Freddie Mac Foundation gave its first seed grant. By 2003, ICM hired its first Executive Director and expanded its reach across the metro region, and became its own 501c3 organization.

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But we didn’t stop there.

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In 2008, ICM made a bold decision: to grow the movement statewide and change its name to the Interfaith Children's Movement, expanding its Metropolitan focus across the entire state. Because while many of Georgia’s children suffer silently, faith communities are present in every single county. And with that presence comes the power to speak, act, and change lives. We knew we had to organize across all 159 counties. And, we’re doing just that.

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Today, ICM continues to be powered by the prayers, voices, and action of everyday people. The movement comprises volunteers, congregations, youth, and leaders who believe that justice for children is a sacred calling. From legislative advocacy to youth empowerment, from storytelling to statewide mobilization, we are still answering the call first heard that September morning.

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The challenges facing children are great. But so is the faith that brought us here—and the love that keeps us going.

We believe in a Georgia where every child grows up safe, nurtured, and free. And we believe that starts with us. All of us. Together.