Good morning awesome ones. The awesome woman for November 16, 2011 is Marian Wright Edelman, the founder of the Children's Defense Fund, an advocacy group that works and lobbies on behalf of all U.S. children, but particularly on behalf of poor and disabled children. While some of the organization's work is fairly well-known (e.g., advocating for Head Start, children's healthcare, and child nutritional services), it cements its position on the side of the angels wrt its advocacy for children in delinquency, dependency, and neglect proceedings. The group has been critical in making sure that kids who end up in the system have their educational needs met, in addition to their needs for safety, love, and socialization.
Edelman was born on June 6, 1939. She graduated from Yale Law School in 1963 and is the first woman ever admitted to practice law in Mississippi. She started her legal career working for the NAACP, and within about five years while working for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Poor People's Project, she founded what became CDF in 1973. She has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings. See more here:
