Marian Wright Edelman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marian Wright Edelman
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Edelman in 1994
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| Born |
Marian Wright
June 6, 1939 |
| Education |
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| Occupation | Children's rights activist |
| Organization | Children's Defense Fund |
| Spouse(s) |
Peter Edelman
(m. 1968) |
| Children | 3, including Jonah and Ezra |
Marian Wright Edelman (born June 6, 1939) is an American activist who has spent her life fighting for civil rights and the rights of children. She is famous for starting the Children's Defense Fund, an organization that helps children across the country. She has worked with important leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. and Hillary Clinton.
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Early Life and Education
Marian Wright was born in Bennettsville, South Carolina. Her father, Arthur Jerome Wright, was a Baptist minister who always told her how important education was. Sadly, her father died when she was only 14 years old.
Marian was an excellent student. After high school, she went to Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. She won a special scholarship that allowed her to study in other countries. She studied in France, Switzerland, and even the Soviet Union.
When she returned to the United States, she became active in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1960, she was arrested with other students for protesting at restaurants in Atlanta that would not serve Black people. After graduating from Spelman, she went to the famous Yale Law School and earned a law degree in 1963.
A Career Fighting for Others
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In 1964, Marian Wright Edelman became the first African-American woman to be allowed to practice law in Mississippi. She worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, helping civil rights activists during a famous event called the Mississippi Freedom Summer. She also helped create the Head Start program, which provides education and health services to young children from low-income families.
In 1968, she moved to Washington, D.C. to work with Martin Luther King Jr. on his Poor People's Campaign, a project to fight poverty.
The Children's Defense Fund
In 1973, Marian founded the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). She wanted to create a strong voice for children who were poor, children of color, or children with disabilities. The CDF researches the problems children face and works to find solutions.
As the leader of the CDF, Marian pushed the United States Congress to improve laws for children. She worked on issues like foster care, adoption, and child care. She also fought to protect children who were homeless, abused, or neglected. She once said, "If you don't like the way the world is, you have an obligation to change it. Just do it one step at a time."
Under her leadership, the CDF also helped create the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which provides health insurance to millions of kids. In 2020, after leading the organization for many years, she became the president emerita, a special title to honor her work.
Personal Life
In 1967, Marian met Peter Edelman, who was an assistant to Senator Robert F. Kennedy. They were visiting Mississippi to see how people were living in poor areas. They fell in love and got married on July 14, 1968. At the time, laws against interracial marriage had only recently been changed, and they were one of the first interracial couples to marry in Virginia.
Marian and Peter have three sons: Joshua, Jonah, and Ezra. All three have gone on to have successful careers in education and film.
Major Awards and Honors
Marian Wright Edelman has received many awards for her incredible work. Here are a few of the most famous ones:
- 1985: MacArthur Fellowship, often called a "genius grant."
- 1993: Inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
- 1995: Community of Christ International Peace Award.
- 2000: Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a civilian can receive in the United States.
See also
In Spanish: Marian Wright Edelman para niños
- List of first women lawyers and judges in Mississippi
