Who is Marian Wright Edelman?
Where did she grow up? What circumstances shaped her childhood? What “external messages” did she have to confront? Who were her mentors? 2. What did Marian Wright Edelman use to rise above the circumstances of poverty? How did she distinguish herself as a student? 3. As a young civil rights lawyer, in what program did Ms. Edelman become involved? What are the objectives of Head Start? Why did Ms. Edelman testify before a Senate committee in 1967? Which senator went to the Mississippi Delta with her to see the poverty of which she spoke? After seeing this poverty, what did Senator Robert Kennedy urge Marian Wright Edelman to do? 4. What organization does Ms. Edelman head today? What are some of the accomplishments of the Children’s Defense Fund? 5. Write this quote from Marian Wright Edelman on the board: “If you don’t like the way the world is, you change it. You have an obligation to change it. You just do it one step at a time.” Discuss with students what aspects of the world Marian
