Marian Wright Edelman, is founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), considered by many, the nation’s strongest voice for children and families.
Born in Bennettsville, SC, in 1939, Marian is a graduate of Historically Black Spelman College, located in Atlanta, Georgia. She would go on to graduate from Yale University Law School, and become the first African-American woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar.
In 1968, she helped organize Martin Luther King’s Poor People’s Campaign, and the southern Christian leadership conference. A vehement activist for children, in 1973, she founded the Children’s Defense fund, as a voice for poor children, children with disabilities, and children of color.
Marian Wright Edelman says, “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”.
Marian lives in Washington DC, with her husband, Peter Edelman, a Georgetown University Law Professor.
