Resources for Teachers and Students

Prepare: In addition to receiving such awards as a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship and the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, Marian Wright Edelman has been awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor given by the United States of America. Her biography can be found on the Medal of Freedom website.

Read: Marian Wright Edelman wrote an original essay for the Architects of Peace project. In it, she reflects on the importance of protecting today's children.

Explore: Marian Wright Edelman founded a child-advocacy organization called the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) over thirty years ago. To become familiar with the CDF's work, please explore their website. Of particular interest, at the bottom of the page, are the links to "Key Facts," "Where America Stands," and "Each Day in America."

Write: In the first line of her Architects of Peace essay, Marian Wright Edelman claims that "we are living in a time of unbearable dissonance between promise and performance." As part of this, she cites our capacity to alleviate human deprivation, and our lack of political/spiritual will to do so. Is this criticism warranted? Using statistics such as those that can be found on the Children Defense Fund website (referred to in the Explore section of this lesson plan), build a case in a three-to-five page persuasive paper either for or against Edelman's assertion.

Extend: The Children's Defense Fund maintains an action council where people can keep informed of legislative issues affecting children. Those wishing to join in CDF's advocacy efforts via email can register at the "E-Advocacy Center,".

Additional Resource: The hardest-hit victims of war are often children. Those wishing to explore child advocacy at an international level can begin with the website of the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF). Pay particular attention to the "State of the World's Children" option in the upper right-hand toolbar.

Biography of Marian Wright Edelman