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Marian Wright Edelman

Founder & President of the Children's Defense Fund

Marian Wright Edelman
Travels From Travels From:
Washington, DC, USA
Speaking Fee Speaking Fee:
Live Event: $30,000 - $50,000
Virtual Event: Please Contact
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Categories Categories:
Categories Categories:
Authors, Black Heritage, Civil Rights, College, Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Education, Executive Leadership, Family & Parenting, Government, Influential Women, Inspirational, Law, Leadership, Literacy, Motivational, Personal Growth, Political, Social Activism, TED
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Marian Wright Edelman Biography

Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF), has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life. Under her leadership, CDF has become the nation's strongest voice for children and families. The mission of the Children's Defense Fund is to leave no child behind and to ensure every child a healthy start, a head start, a fair start, a safe start, and a moral start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of caring families and communities.

 Edelman, a graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School, began her career in the mid-60s when, as the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, she directed the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, MS. In l968, she moved to Washington, D.C., as counsel for the Poor People's Campaign that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. began organizing before his death. She founded the Washington Research Project, a public interest law firm and the parent body of the Children's Defense Fund. For two years she served as the Director of the Center for Law and Education at Harvard University and in l973 began CDF.

 Edelman served on the Board of Trustees of Spelman College which she chaired from 1976 to 1987 and was the first woman elected by alumni as a member of the Yale University Corporation on which she served from 1971 to 1977. She has received many honorary degrees and awards including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, the Heinz Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship. In 2000, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings which include seven books: Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change; The Measure of Our Success: A Letter to My Children and Yours; Guide My Feet: Meditations and Prayers on Loving and Working for Children; Stand for Children; Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors; Hold My Hand: Prayers for Building a Movement to Leave No Child Behind; and I'm Your Child, God: Prayers for Our Children.

 She is a board member of the Robin Hood Foundation, the Association to Benefit Children, City Lights School, and Outward Bound and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 10/25/2024.

Marian Wright Edelman Speaking Topics

  • The State of America's Children

  • cradle to prison pipeline (CPP)

  • education

  • poverty

  • health care

Marian Wright Edelman Videos

  • Reflections from a lifetime fighting to end child poverty
    Reflections from a lifetime fighting to end child poverty
    What does it take to build a national movement? In a captivating conversation with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, Marian Wright Edelman reflects on...
  • Marian Wright Edelman, Delivering a Message to Martin Luther King
    Marian Wright Edelman, Delivering a Message to Martin Luther King
    Marian Wright Edelman facilitated communications between President Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In this MAKERS moment, ...
  • Marian Wright Edelman Commencement Speech
    Marian Wright Edelman Commencement Speech
    On May 25, 2015, Marian Wright Edelman delivered the commencement speech to the Oberlin Class of 2015. Read the transcript: ...
See All Videos »

Marian Wright Edelman Books

  • I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children
    I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children
  • I'm Your Child God: Prayers for Our Children
    I'm Your Child God: Prayers for Our Children
  • Guide My Feet: Prayers and Meditations for Our Children
    Guide My Feet: Prayers and Meditations for Our Children
  • Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors
    Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors
  • Stand for Children
    Stand for Children
  • Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change
    Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change

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  • What topics does Marian Wright Edelman speak about?

    Marian Wright Edelman is a keynote speaker and industry expert whose speaking topics include Authors, Black Heritage, Civil Rights, College, Culture, Diversity & Inclusion, Education, Executive Leadership, Family & Parenting, Government, Influential Women, Inspirational, Law, Leadership, Literacy, Motivational, Personal Growth, Political, Social Activism, TED.

  • Where does Marian Wright Edelman travel from?

    Marian Wright Edelman generally travels from Washington, DC, USA, but can be booked for private corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. For more details, please contact an AAE Booking agent.

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Marian Wright Edelman is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as The State of America's Children, cradle to prison pipeline (CPP), education, poverty and health care. The estimated speaking fee range to book Marian Wright Edelman for your event is $30,000 - $50,000. Marian Wright Edelman generally travels from Washington, DC, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Judge Glenda Hatchett, Erin Gruwell, Victoria Rowell, Hill Harper and America Ferrera. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Marian Wright Edelman for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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