News
Founder of the Children's Defense Fund Marian Wright Edelman To Keynote Whittier College's 106th Commencement Ceremony
April 24, 2009 Press Release
Marian Wright Edelman—noted children's rights activist—will give the keynote speech and Al Young, Poet Laureate of California Emeritus, will recite a poem at Whittier College's 106th Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 22, at 9a.m. in Memorial Stadium on the Whittier College campus. During the event, at which approximately 370 undergraduate and graduate students are expected to receive their degrees, Edelman and Young will also each receive an honorary degree from Whittier: a doctorate of humane letters (LL.D.).
Edelman established the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) in 1973 and is its current president. During the past 35 years, CDF has been a voice for poor, minority, and physically disabled children in the United States, as well as a research center, documenting the problems and possible solutions to children in need. In her role, Edelman has served as a lobbyist in Congress and has worked to raise private funds for the agency to maintain its independence from government funding.
Edelman's work on behalf of America's children has been recognized with the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. She has also been honored with the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings, which include eight books, including Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change and I Can Make a Difference: A Treasury to Inspire Our Children.
Edelman is a graduate of Spellman College and Yale Law School. She is a board member of the Robin Hood Foundation, the Association to Benefit Children, and City Lights School, and is 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.
Al Young's many works include novels, collections of poetry, and essays that have been translated into more than a dozen languages. He has taught poetry at numerous educational institutions including Stanford, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz. In the 1980s and 1990s, he served as a cultural ambassador for the United States Information Agency, traveling throughout South Asia and the Middle East. His past honors include Wallace Stegner, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and National Endowment for the Arts Fellowships, and two each of the American Book Awards, Pushcart Prizes, and New York Times Notable Book of the Year citations.
Founded by Quakers in 1887, Whittier College is an independent, four-year college offering a traditional liberal arts program integrated with both professional and pre-professional courses of study. With an emphasis on diversity, community, and curricular innovation, the College’s primary mission is to endow students with the education, skills, and values appropriate for global leadership and service. Whittier College is a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
Whittier Law School is the oldest, fully-accredited American Bar Association law school operating in Orange County, California. Whittier Law School offers a rich, dynamic, and cutting-edge legal education that prepares students for careers in law, business, and public service.
