Name: Reflections from a lifetime fighting to end child poverty
Uploaded: 2019-01-30T15:51:34Z
Duration: 14 min 59 s
Description: What does it take to build a national movement? In a captivating conversation with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, Marian Wright Edelman reflects on her path to founding the Children's Defense Fund in 1973 -- from the early influence of growing up in the segregated American South to her activism with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- and shares how growing older has only made her more radical.

Marian Wright Edelman: Reflections from a lifetime fighting to end child poverty

Reflections from a lifetime fighting to end child poverty

What does it take to build a national movement? In a captivating conversation with TEDWomen curator Pat Mitchell, Marian Wright Edelman reflects on her path to founding the Children's Defense Fund in 1973 -- from the early influence of growing up in the segregated American South to her activism with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. -- and shares how growing older has only made her more radical.

Building a just society starts with noticing urgent needs and taking action, especially for children left behind. Stories from the segregated South, like a neighbor dying from a preventable disease, fueled a lifelong fight against child poverty. Decades of advocacy brought millions of children food, health care, and education, yet the work is unfinished as millions still suffer. Lasting progress demands relentless commitment and a willingness to challenge deeply rooted injustice.