Marian Wright Edelman is an acclaimed author, attorney, activist, speaker, wife, mother and daughter. She was born in 1939 in South Carolina to humble parents. Her father, Arthur Wright was a baptist minister and her mother, the church organist. A philosophy of service was instilled in her as a young girl by both of her parents who taught their five children that service in the world was required of true Christians. She recalls her father saying, “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.” (Shetterly, n.d.) He did not only lead by his words, but by his actions. During segregation in the south, African Americans were banned from entering city parks, so her father built a park behind is church for the African American children of his congregation. (www.thehistorymakers.com) Marian, the youngest of the Wright’s five children went on to attend Spelman College and Yale Law School. Originally drawn to work in foreign policy, the civil rights movement in her own backyard brought her home. She returned to the south during the heart of the civil rights movement as a lawyer working for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Mississippi. It is at this time that she became the first African American woman to be admitted to the Mississippi Bar.
Bearing witness to the hardship of children living in poverty in the south caused Marian to take on the cause of championing children’s rights as she became a prominent activist for the Head Start program. She would eventually move to Washington DC in 1968 where she would meet her husband, Peter Edelman, an aide to Robert Kennedy. While in Washington, she brought national attention to the issue of children suffering from hunger and living in poverty in America. She would work with both Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. for social justice and civil rights in an attempt to level the playing field for the poor. During this time she would become a leading force in the struggle to overhaul the foster care system, support adoption, fight for quality childcare and protect children who were handicapped, homeless, abuse and/or neglected (Shetterly). In 1973, Edelman who found the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF) which would become the strongest voice for children and their families in America. The CDF established their “Leave No Child Behind” Mission and works towards championing “policies and programs that lift children out of poverty; protect them from abuse and neglect; and ensure their access to health care, quality education and a moral and spiritual foundation” (childrensdefensefund.org). Much like Saul Alinsky, Edelman has worked to mobilize her community in bringing together parents, religious congregations, schools and other institutions with employers and the government. While she does not believe one institution is solely responsible for the protection of children, she does hold each institution accountable for their part. Just as she believes we need to address the needs of the whole child, she believes that it needs to be done in collaboration as a society. Edelman cites two inspirations for her work as Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois (founder of the NAACP.) Edelman dislikes being labeled liberal or radical, but prefers to believe in the values of private charity and personal service in conjunction with public social justice (Atkins, 1992). At the age of 72, Edelman has showed no signs of slowing down her fight for children’s rights or social justice. She continues to advocate for youth pregnancy prevention, funding for childcare, universal healthcare for pregnant women and children and for a greater responsibility of parents in teaching values and monitoring their children’s exposure to violence in the media. Her latest initiative, “The Cradle to Prison Pipeline,” focuses on the disproportionate amount of disadvantaged children, especially boys, who are being swept into the juvenile justice system (Five Questions, 2007). As a true change agent and social activist, Edelman believes we, as a society, have the power to effect changes for these children.
Unlike Edelman, Uraidah Hassani is relatively new to social activism. She is an International Relations graduate of New York University and is currently the Susila Dharma International Associations representative to the United Nations. Susila Dharma is a human rights activism network that promotes worldwide human rights and a sustainable society (SDI, n.d.) As a student in Brooklyn, NY, Hassani mentored inner-city teen girls and upon return to Chicago after graduation, worked with the Chicago Advisory Council on Women. Because of these experiences, Hassani noticed a lack of positive role models for young girls and a need for a worldwide movement to connect, inspire and educate the world’s women and girls.
Hassani explains that traveling to Indonesia, Columbia and Iran opened her eyes to the plight of women and girls in developing countries. She would pack extra of items she always took for granted to give to families and communities she visited (changents.com/uraidah/biography.) Their appreciation and joy for such simple things taught her how easy it could be to help those in need. This lesson remained in her memory throughout her life and in an effort to improve the quality of life for women and girls internationally, the Women Worldwide Initiative (WWI) was born in 2009. The WWI focuses on mentorship programs, social change projects and an online social network for women and girls that seeks to provide inspiration, information and resources to this population. The overall goal is to empower women and girls today so they may develop the confidence to affect changes in their lives. By creating stronger girls today, there is hope they will grow to be the women leaders of tomorrow who can continue to stand up for themselves, their families and provide a voice for changes that our world needs. Hassani lists the work of Mahatma Gandhi as someone who has inspired her to fulfill this need to “be the change (womenworldwideinitiative.org).” Her lasting contribution to the areas of social justice as an activist for women is yet to be seen as she is still only a newcomer to the scene. If the growth of the WWI in its first two years is any indication, Hassani should be able to have an effect on this issue.
Like Marian Wright Edelman, I have always been drawn to the plight of our children in America. There are so many children in our own country who are in need of assistance and positive role model it both saddens and angers me. These most vulnerable of our citizens often lack their own voice and need strong people to be their voice in securing the resources they will need. I strongly believe that our future lies in the hands of our children and that each child should be afforded the same rights and opportunities needed to achieve and maximize their potential. I also feel that each child should have the support and love of a strong family with positive role models, regardless of the parent’s sexual orientation. It is a disgrace that in many states in our country, families willing to love and care for children are not allowed to because of who they love. It is my hope to live by example and dispel the idea that gays and lesbians are not fit to love and raise a child. Another social issue concerning children that I am passionate about is the struggles faced by LGBT teens and young adults. The visibility of LGBT role models in our society and their acceptance is increasing, yet the numbers of children being bullied or taking their own lives as a result of their sexual orientation continues to rise at an alarming rate. It has always been my goal to lead by example, however, I am beginning to realize that leading by example is not enough for me. It is time for me, in developing my new role as an activist and change agent to become more involved in this fight on a macro level.
In choosing to highlight Uraidah Hassani, I have learned that it is possible for ordinary people, like myself, to make changes in the world. It may be necessary to start on a smaller scale but important to have the vision of making a large-scale, global impact. While she may someday be talked about in history books as having an impact on the human rights movement, right now she is a simple citizen trying to affect change. In studying Marian Wright Edelman for this assignment, I have come to learn that the change I would like to see may not happen unless I do something about it. Edelman has been quoted as saying that, “A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi to come back - but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us (biography.com).” I may be just one person, but I can have an impact.
Sources
Atkins, N. (1992). Marian Wright Edelman. Rolling Stone, (645/646), 126.
Changents: Connecting the people who help the world to the people who help
them. (n.d.) retrieved from http://changents.com/uraidah/biography
Five Questions for Marian Wright Edelman. (2007). American School Board
Journal, 194(6),12.
Healthy Start: An interview with Marian Wright Edelman. (1988) Christian
Century, 115(20),682.
Lewis, Jone Johnson. (2012). Marian Wright Edelman. Retrieved February 9,
2012 from
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/marianwrightedelman/p/m_w_edelman.htm
Marian Wright Edelman. Biography. (2012). Retrieved February 9, 2012 from
http://www.childrensdefense.org/about-us/leadership-staff/marian-wright-edelman/
Marian Wright Edelman Biography. (2001). Retrieved February 9, 2012 from http:/www.thehistorymakers.com/biography/biography.asp
Shetterly, Robert. (n.d.) Americans Who Tell The Truth. Retrieved February 9, 2012 from http://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/pgs/portraits/Marian_Wright_Edelman.php
Susila Dharma International SDI. (n.d.). retrieved from http://www.susiladharma.org/index.html
The Women Worldwide Initiative. (2009-2011). Retrieved February 10, 2012
from http://womenworldwideinitiative.org/
No comments:
Post a Comment