On Tuesday, the CEO of a famous children’s magazine that has been published since 1946 issued a statement on behalf of the magazine that seemingly condemned the Trump administration for its policy on the southern border. Highlights Magazine tweeted, “At Highlights, our core belief is that children are the world’s most important people. In light of the reports of the living conditions of detained children & threats of further deportation & family separation, here is a statement from our CEO Kent Johnson. #KeepFamiliesTogether.”
In the statement, Kent Johnson, the CEO of Highlights for Children magazine, stated, “We denounce the practice of separating immigrant children from their families and urge our government to cease this activity, which is unconscionable and causes irreparable damage to young lives.”
Huffington Post reported approvingly, “The magazine’s statement was well received by many people on Twitter, where some said they had now subscribed in support of its stance.”
Highlights, which became famous for its “Hidden Pictures” pages, as well as “Goofus and Gallant” and “The Timbertoes,” has sold over one billion copies in print. The magazine was founded by Garry Myers, who obtained his PhD in psychology from Columbia University prior to World War I. He and his wife Caroline taught illiterate soldiers for the U.S. Army; she was the first female teacher employed by the Army. TechCrunch reported in 2016, “The company has partnered with San Francisco-based startup Fingerprint to help transition the brand – and the activities that were once found within its printed pages – to mobile devices.”
Johnson’s full statement read:
As a company that helps children become their best selves — curious, creative, caring, and confident — we want kids to understand the importance of having moral courage. Moral courage means standing up for what we believe is right, honest, and ethical — even when it is hard. Our company’s core belief, stated each month in Highlights magazine, is that “Children are the world’s most important people. This is a belief about ALL children.
With this core belief in our minds and hearts, we denounce the practice of separating immigrant children from their families and urge our government to cease this activity, which is unconscionable and causes irreparable damage to young lives.
This is not a political statement about immigration policy. This is a statement about human decency, plain and simple. This is a plea for recognition that these are not simply the children of strangers for whom others are accountable. This is an appeal to elevate the inalienable right of all children to feel safe and have the opportunity to become their best selves.
We invite you — regardless of your political leanings — to join us in speaking out against family separation and to call for more humane treatment of immigrant children currently being held in detention facilities. Write, call, or email your government representatives.
Let our children draw strength and inspiration from our collective display of moral courage. They are watching.