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Standing Up For Children

Marian Wright Edelman spends most of her days worrying about you. Her job as the head of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) in Washington, D.C., is to think about the problems faced by American children and how we might solve them. Here are some facts about American kids that keep her up at night worrying:

• 1 in 5 American children is poor
• 1 in 7 has no health insurance
• 1 in 8 is born to a teenage mom
• 1 in 8 never finishes high school
• 1 in 9 kids between ages 12 and 15 is a victim of crime each year
• 1 in 610 will be killed by a gun before reaching age 20

Edelman and CDF have been working for years to bring attention to these and other problems faced by young people. Edelman, a lawyer, has met with U.S. Presidents and members of Congress. She has given hundreds of speeches and pushed for changes in the nation's laws.

Now she is trying something new. She and CDF are organizing what may be one of the biggest marches in U.S. history: the Stand for Children march in Washington, D.C., on June 1.

Why Are People Marching?
"We want to do for children what (Martin Luther King's) 1963 march did for civil rights," Edelman explains. "This will be a massive wake-up call for America. If you don't stand for your children, you don't stand for anything."

Edelman is disappointed that politicians want to cut money from programs that feed poor children, educate needy kids and provide medical care to those who need it. She's furious that the country is so packed full of guns that a child is shot to death in the U.S. every two hours.

So far, nearly 3,000 organizations around the country have signed up to join the march. Among them: the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A., the American Federation of Teachers, the Salvation Army, the national PTA, the American Pediatric Society and leaders of Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim groups.

Many marchers will simply be families eager to draw attention to kids' issues. "I think it's important," says Tyler Webb, 9, who will march with his parents. "Kids have the right to grow up in a nice community without violence." Tiffiany Padgett, 17, will march with the Girl Scouts. "Children need a lot of help from adults and from each other to succeed in life," she says.

Who's not coming? CDF has not invited any political leaders to speak. It does not want Democrats and Republicans attacking each other over children's issues.

CDF chose the Lincoln Memorial as the place for thousands to gather. Abraham Lincoln is the President who fought to keep the nation together through the Civil War period. "We need to ask ourselves," says Edelman, "Can we remain a union--one American family for our children?"

Taking The Pledge
On the morning of June 1, the grounds around the memorial will be full of exhibits and information areas. People from across the U.S. will share ideas about programs that have helped kids in their cities. On a stage nearby, teenagers and children will sing and dance to draw attention to the needs of America's kids.

The children's march begins at noon. Scouts, church choirs, disabled children and others will march to the Lincoln Memorial. After a prayer and speeches, each participant, including those watching on TV, will be asked to take a pledge to make a personal effort to help children.

Planners of the march hope that long after it's over people will remember that pledge and act on it. Edelman has a dream that people will go home inspired by hearing what others have done to improve the lives of children. "I want them to go home and say, I can do that!"

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