Marian Wright Edelman

Marian Wright Edelman (1939–2024) was an American civil rights attorney and leading advocate for children and families. Born in Bennettsville, South Carolina, she graduated from Spelman College and Yale Law School. After working with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, she moved to Mississippi to support civil rights efforts and later served as the first Black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar. In Washington, D.C., she founded the Children’s Defense Fund in 1973 and served for decades as its president, later becoming president emerita. Edelman wrote widely on child welfare, poverty, and education, and received numerous national honors.