Marian Wright Edelman, Childrens Rights Activist

Marian Wright Edelman (born June 6, 1939) is an American lawyer, educator, and childrens rights activist. In 1973, she founded the Childrens Defense Fund, an advocacy and research group. Edelman was the first African-American woman to be admitted to the Mississippi state bar. Fast Facts: Marian Wright Edelman Known For: Edelman is a childrens rights advocate who founded the Childrens Defense Fund.Born: June 6, 1939 in Bennettsville, South CarolinaParents: Arthur Jerome Wright and Maggie Leola BowenEducation: Spelman College, Yale Law SchoolAwards and Honors: MacArthur Fellowship, Albert Schweitzer Prize for Humanitarianism, National Womens Hall of Fame, Community of Christ International Peace Award, Presidential Medal of FreedomSpouse: Peter Edelman  (m.  1968)Children: Joshua, Jonah, EzraNotable Quote: So much of Americas tragic and costly failure to care for all its children stems from our tendency to distinguish between our own children and other peoples children—as if justice were divisible. Early Life Marian Wright Edelman was born on born June 6, 1939, and raised in Bennettsville, South Carolina, one of five children. Her father Arthur Wright was a Baptist preacher who taught his children that Christianity required service in this world and was influenced by A. Phillip Randolph. Her mother was Maggie Leola Bowen. Marians father died when she was only 14 years old. In his last words to her, he urged her not to let anything get in the way of your education. Education Edelman went on to study at Spelman College. She studied abroad on a Merrill scholarship and later traveled to the Soviet Union on a Lisle fellowship. When she returned to Spelman in 1959, Edelman became involved in the civil rights movement. This work inspired her to drop her plans to enter the foreign service and study law instead. As a law student at Yale University, she worked on a project to register African-American voters in Mississippi. Career In 1963 after graduating from Yale Law School, Edelman worked first in New York for the NAACP Legal and Defense Fund and then in Mississippi for the same organization. There, she became the first African-American woman to practice law. During her time in Mississippi, she worked on racial justice issues connected with the civil rights movement and helped get a Head Start program established in her community. During a tour by Robert Kennedy and Joseph Clark of Mississippis poverty-ridden Delta slums, Marian met Peter Edelman, an assistant to Kennedy, and the next year she moved to Washington, D.C., to marry him and to work for social justice in the center of Americas political scene. The couple had three sons: Joshua, Jonah, and Ezra. Jonah is the founder of Stand for Children, a group that promotes childrens education initiatives, and Ezra is a documentary filmmaker who won an Emmy for his film O.J.: Made in America. In Washington, D.C., Edelman continued her social justice work, helping to organize Martin Luther Kings Poor Peoples Campaign and assisting with the efforts of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. She then began to focus on issues related to child development and child poverty. Childrens Defense Fund In 1973, Edelman established the Childrens Defense Fund as a voice for poor, minority, and disabled children. She served as a public speaker on behalf of these children, and also as a lobbyist in Congress and both president and administrative head of the organization. The agency served not only as an advocacy organization, but as a research center, documenting the problems of children in need and searching for ways to help them. To keep the agency independent, she saw that it was financed entirely with private funds. The Childrens Defense Fund has supported a variety of the legislation, including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which created protections for children with disabilities in the classroom; the Childrens Health Insurance Program, which expanded health insurance coverage for children; and the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980, which improved foster care programs. Edelman has published several books about her ideas. The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours was a surprising success. In the 1990s after Bill Clinton was elected President, First Lady Hillary Clintons involvement with the Childrens Defense Fund brought significant attention to the organization. But Edelman did not pull her punches in criticizing the Clinton administrations legislative agenda—including its welfare reform initiatives—when she believed it would be disadvantageous to the nations neediest children. In 1993, the Childrens Defense Fund launched a Freedom Schools initiative to promote literacy and learning through reading. The group also launched a program that awards college scholarships and trains young leaders. The Childrens Defense Fund has also been involved in efforts to help low-income families with childcare and healthcare. As part of the efforts of the Childrens Defense Fund, Edelman has also advocated for pregnancy prevention, child care funding, health care funding, prenatal care, and gun control. In 1985, she received a MacArthur Genius grant, and in 1991 she was named ABCs Person of the Week—The Childrens Champion. Edelman is also the recipient of more than 65 honorary degrees. In 2000, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom—one of the nations highest honors. Books Edelman is the author of numerous books for children and adults. Her titles for young readers include Im Your Child, God: Prayers for Our Children, Guide My Feet: Prayers and Meditations for Our Children, The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours, and Stand for Children. Edelmans books for adults include Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors, I Dream a World, and Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change. Sources Edelman, Marian Wright.  The Measure of Our Success: a Letter to My Children and Yours. Beacon Press, 1993.Siegel, Beatrice.  Marian Wright Edelman: the Making of a Crusader. Simon Schuster, 1995.