Walt Whitman spent the final years of his life in Camden, New Jersey. In the final manuscript he wrote, Leaves of Grass, is the following poem:

I Dream’d in a Dream

I DREAM’D in a dream, I saw a city invincible to the attacks of the whole of the rest of the earth;

I dream’d that was the new City of Friends;

Nothing was greater there than the quality of robust love–it led the rest;

It was seen every hour in the actions of the men of that city,

And in all their looks and words.

116 years after Whitman’s death, Camden’s motto remains: In a dream, I see a city invincible. The sad reality is that Camden itself is largely a city invisible. And Camden’s children suffer the consequences.

Diane Sawyer’s special report on Camden helped shed a little light on the problems facing Camden.

  • 58 percent of children in Camden are living in poverty.
  • In the 2002-2003 school year, Camden’s graduation rate was 37%, compared to New Jersey state’s 81% graduation rate.
  • While Camden city makes up less than 1% of New Jersey’s population, almost 8% of murders in the state took place in Camden city in 2005.
  • Camden has in recent years been named The Most Dangerous City in America, and The Poorest City in America–while New Jersey retains the highest median income in the nation

Camden kids are living in unacceptable conditions, facing daunting odds for making it to college and lifting themselves out of poverty. Meanwhile, just 5 minutes down the road, some of America’s most fortunate children are living in large comfortable homes, attending some of the most excellent schools in the nation, and enjoying a relatively carefree childhood (I know, I was one of them).

Camden kids deserve an equal chance in life. CamdenCityKids is a non-profit project that aims to weave together organizations, businesses and individuals whose priority it is to help children in Camden.

This blog will chronicle the CamdenCityKids journey… beginning in our current planning mode. Please stop by to check out our progress, our challenges, and eventually our inspiring results! And I’d like to formally invite anyone interested in helping out to please contact me.

Let’s make Walt Whitman’s dream a reality… Camden: A City Invincible.