Senate Resolution No. 410

BY: Senator MONTGOMERY

COMMENDING the Children's Defense Fund New York
upon the occasion of its Beat the Odds Annual
Celebration with a Special Salute to Founder and
President Emerita Marian Wright Edelman

WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body to recognize that
the quality and character of life in the communities across New York
State are reflective of the concerned and dedicated efforts of those
organizations and individuals who would devote themselves to the welfare
of the community and its citizenry; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commend the Children's Defense Fund New York upon the occasion of its
Beat the Odds Annual Celebration on Monday, February 25, 2019, at The
Pierre, New York City, with a Special Salute to Founder and President
Emerita Marian Wright Edelman; and

WHEREAS, The unity of our State and Nation is built upon the
compassion of individuals such as Marian Wright Edelman who uphold the
values of community life and who, through their great actions, epitomize
the best of humanity; and

WHEREAS, Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President Emerita of the
Children's Defense Fund (CDF), has been an advocate for disadvantaged
Americans for her entire professional life; under her able leadership,
CDF has become the nation's strongest voice for children and families;
and

WHEREAS, Remaining true to its mission, CDF ensures every child a
Healthy Start, a Head Start, a Fair Start, a Safe Start, and a Moral
Start in life and successful passage to adulthood with the help of
caring families and communities; and

WHEREAS, Marian Wright Edelman, a graduate of Spelman College and
Yale Law School, began her career in the mid-1960s when, as the first
black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, she directed the NAACP
Legal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, Mississippi; and

WHEREAS, In 1968, Marian Wright Edelman moved to Washington, D.C.,
where she served as counsel for the Poor People's Campaign which Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. began organizing before his death; during this
time, she founded the Washington Research Project, a public interest law
firm and the parent body of the Children's Defense Fund; and

WHEREAS, For two years, Marian Wright Edelman served as the Director
of the Center for Law and Education at Harvard University, before
founding CDF in 1973; and

WHEREAS, Marian Wright Edelman served on the Board of Trustees of
Spelman College which she chaired from 1976 to 1987, and was the first
woman elected by alumni as a member of the Yale University Corporation
which she served from 1971 to 1977; and


WHEREAS, In addition to receiving more than 100 honorary degrees,
Marian Wright Edelman is the proud recipient of the Albert Schweitzer
Humanitarian Prize, the Heinz Award and a MacArthur Foundation Prize
Fellowship; and

WHEREAS, Marian Wright Edelman received the Presidential Medal of
Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, and the Robert F. Kennedy
Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings which include: Families in
Peril: An Agenda for Social Change; The Measure of Our Success: A Letter
to My Children and Yours; Guide My Feet: Meditations and Prayers on
Loving and Working for Children; Stand for Children; Lanterns: A Memoir
of Mentors; Hold My Hand: Prayers for Building a Movement to Leave No
Child Behind; I'm Your Child, God: Prayers for Our Children; I Can Make
a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children; and The Sea Is So Wide
and My Boat Is So Small: Charting a Course for the Next Generation; and

WHEREAS, A true asset to society, Marian Wright Edelman is a board
member of the Robin Hood Foundation and the Association to Benefit
Children, as well as a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the
American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and
Sciences, and the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of
Sciences; and

WHEREAS, With her throughout have been her husband, Peter, and their
three sons, Joshua, Jonah, and Ezra, as well as four grandchildren,
Ellika, Zoe, Elijah and Levi, who have all shown her love and support
and rejoice in her many achievements; and

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when
individuals and organizations of such noble aims and accomplishments are
brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by
all the citizens of the great State of New York; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commend the Children's Defense Fund New York upon the occasion of its
Beat the Odds Annual Celebration with a Special Salute to Founder and
President Emerita Marian Wright Edelman; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Marian Wright Edelman, Founder and President Emerita,
Children's Defense Fund.