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