Newswise — Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund (CDF) and one of the nation's leading advocates for children, families, and disadvantaged Americans, will deliver the keynote address at Colgate University's 184th commencement exercises at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 15.
Under Edelman's leadership, CDF has become the nation's strongest voice for children and families.
She has received many honorary degrees and awards, including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, the Heinz Award, and a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship. In 2000, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award.
Edelman received the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award for her writings, which include seven books: "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" ; and "I'm Your Child, God: Prayers for Our Children."
A graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School, Edelman became the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, and was the first woman elected to the Yale University Corp. She has worked with Martin Luther King, Jr., held leadership positions with the NAACP, and was the Director of the Center for Law and Education at Harvard University.
Also speaking at Colgate's 2005 commencement ceremonies will be the Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, who will give the baccalaureate sermon.
A well-respected theologian for his work in ethics and international relations, Hehir serves as the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the practice of religion and public life at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. He is the former president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, and served on the faculty at Georgetown University and Harvard Divinity School.
In addition to Edelman and Hehir, Colgate alumnus Emlyn Griffith, former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher, and artist Alex Katz will all receive honorary degrees at the commencement ceremony as well.
Griffith, Colgate Class of 1942, was a member of the New York State Board of Regents for 23 years and has dedicated much of his career to public service in the education field.
An attorney, he has served in a number of leadership positions with the state and county bar associations. Griffith, a lifelong resident of Rome, N.Y., has been an advocate for Colgate for many years, particularly in encouraging talented local students to attend his alma mater.
Griffith entered Colgate when he was 15 years old and graduated at age 18, just days before his 19th birthday.
Satcher, who served as surgeon general from 1998 to 2001, was recently named interim president of Atlanta's Morehouse School of Medicine. He also has served as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and on the faculties of UCLA School of Medicine and King-Drew Medical Center.
Katz, regarded as one of the most important and influential American artists of the 20th century, is renowned for his paintings and portraits that express a unique interpretation of modern realism.
His flat, graphic style and large-scale works modernized the tradition of portraiture. Since the late 1950s, portraits have been the mainstay of Katz's work — especially of his wife, Ada; son, Vincent; and a circle of friends composed of artists, poets, critics, and dancers.
For more information on Colgate's 2005 commencement ceremonies, go to http://www4.colgate.edu/commencement/default.asp.
Founded in 1819, Colgate University is a highly selective, residential, liberal arts college enrolling nearly 2,750 undergraduates. Situated on a rolling 515-acre campus in central New York State, Colgate University attracts motivated students with diverse backgrounds, interests and talents.
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