March For The Kids

My name is Christopher Swain. I am a parent and a human rights advocate. When I heard that my government was separating children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border, and further that some of those children had been imprisoned and lost and even allowed to die in federal custody, I felt heartbroken. I promised myself I would do something. I made a commitment to walk around the country, carrying a torch to honor the memory of the children who died in my government’s custody, and to shine a light on the plight of children who had been separated from their families, imprisoned, and lost. My March for the Kids has four goals: 1) To honor the memory of the children who have died in federal  custody; 2) To shine a light on the plight of the children who have been separated from their families, imprisoned, and lost while in federal custody; 3) To advocate for the children until every single child is found, freed, and reunited with family, and, 4) To listen to the voices and hopes of others who are concerned about this situation, and to share those voices and hopes with the world— on social media, at speaking engagements, at events, and in a documentary film and companion book My plan calls for a three year project: First, a march around the country and along our southern border, honoring the memory of the children who have died, advocating publicly for the lost and imprisoned kids, visiting detention and shelter facilities, staging events in different cities, distributing my “Declaration On Behalf Of All Children,” and filming interviews with affected families and my fellow citizens. In year two, a speaking/advocacy tour where I share the voices I have heard and the knowledge I have gained on my journey, continue distributing the Declaration on Behalf of All Children, and work on completing the documentary film and the associated book project. In year three, a tour of U.S. cities and the film festival circuit, using the book and the documentary film to continue to shine a light on the plight of these children. My financial goal is an ambitious one: I aim to do this entire three year campaign—including salaries, equipment, transportation, lodging, food, public relations support, legal support, permits, march expenses, event expenses, as well as all costs associated with distributing the Declaration, producing the documentary film, and writing the book—for LESS than the total cost of a typical PBS documentary film (~300K). It will mean working on a very tight budget for a few years, but I embrace the challenge. I invite you to walk with me, share your hopes with me, or to make a contribution in support of the March. With your help, we can shine a light on this situation until every last child is found, freed, and reunited with family. Thank you : )