Marian Wright Edelman

Marian Wright Edelman, (1939- ) is founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, an advocacy organization for children.

Edelman is a native of Bennettsville, S.C. Her commitment to service was greatly influenced by her father, a Baptist minister who instilled in his children the importance of service. Another influence was A. Phillip Randolph, labor leader, scholar and strategist for the American civil rights movement.

Edelman attended Spellman College, where she became active in the civil rights movement. Later, while attending Yale Law School, she worked in Mississippi helping to register black voters. She later returned to the Magnolia State with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, where she became the first African American woman to pass the bar and to practice law in that state. In 1973 she established the Children’s Defense Fund, which is a research center that documents issues and develops solutions related to children. Edelman continues to be a champion for the needs of children on issues of poverty, health, economics and education. She has been the recipient of numerous awards including 65 honorary degrees, the Community of Christ International Peace Award and the MacArthur Fellowship.