Created by
National Museum of African American History and Culture, American, founded 2003
Interview of
Edelman, Marian Wright, American, born 1939
Interviewed by
Navies, Kelly Elaine, American
Recorded by
Moir, Kim, American
Subject of
Poor People's Campaign, American, 1967 - 1968
Children's Defense Fund, American, founded 1973
Spelman College, American, founded 1881
Dr. King, Martin Luther Jr., American, 1929 - 1968
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, American, founded 1909
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc., American, founded 1940
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, American, 1960 - 1970s
Moses, Robert Parris, American, 1935 - 2021
Evers, Medgar, American, 1925 - 1963
Mississippi Freedom Summer Project, American, founded 1964
Senator Kennedy, Robert F., American, 1925 - 1968
Rev. Barber, William Joseph II, American, born 1963
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, American, founded 1964
Child Development Group of Mississippi, American, founded 1965
Date
September 8, 2017
Medium
digital
Dimensions
Duration: 01:59:50
35.53 GB
Description
An oral history consisting of a single digital video recording (2018.78.4.1). It was collected as part of the Poor People’s Campaign Interviews.
In this oral history interview, Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president emerita of the Children’s Defense Fund (CDF), discusses her early life and work as a civil rights lawyer and activist, the Poor People’s Campaign of 1968, and her work with the CDF. The interview begins with a discussion of Mrs. Edelman’s upbringing and family life in Bennettsville, South Carolina, in which she identifies some of the experiences and relationships that informed her lifelong commitment to social justice work. Mrs. Edelman then discusses her time at Spelman College in Atlanta, GA, and her experiences in Europe (France, Switzerland, and the USSR) during her junior year.
Turning to the 1960s, Mrs. Edelman discusses her work with the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Mississippi and traces the origins of the Poor People’s Campaign to the aftermath of two events: the 1964 Freedom Summer Project and the challenge of the Mississippi Democratic Freedom Party at the 1964 Democratic National Convention. She then discusses the Child Development Group of Mississippi (CDGM) and explains how the Poor People’s Campaign was conceived in response to widespread hunger caused by policies designed to crush the movement in Mississippi. Mrs. Edelman then discusses the Poor People’s Campaign itself. Mrs. Edelman concludes the interview by discussing the policy legacy of the Poor People’s Campaign and the ways she has continued to carry on the struggle through her work for the CDF.
Place collected
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Place depicted
Bennettsville, Marlboro County, South Carolina, United States, North and Central America
Marks, Quitman County, Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
Collection title
Poor People’s Campaign Oral Histories
Classification
Time-based Media - Moving Images
Movement
Civil Rights Movement
African American - Latinx Solidarity
Poor People's Campaign
Type
video recordings
oral histories
digital media - born digital
Topic
Activism
Civil rights
Humanitarianism
Justice
Labor
Politics
Poverty
Race relations
U.S. History, 1961-1969
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Object number
2018.78.4.1
Restrictions & Rights
© Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5331fb890-bb92-4204-bc51-b2ecbc722b7d

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

Share this page