Marian Wright Edelman to Speak on “Ending Child Poverty Now”

From Pisgah Legal:

Marian Wright Edelman to Speak on “Ending Child Poverty Now”
Pisgah Legal Services’ Forum Brings Social Justice Activist and Child Advocate to Asheville on Oct. 5th
Tickets Go on Sale on August 15th.

(August 3, 2016 – – Asheville, NC) Marian Wright Edelman is a legendary fighter for social justice in America. She is the founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund, a passionate advocate for the rights of children, a lawyer, an author and a civil rights leader. This October she comes to Asheville.

Marian Wright Edelman is this year’s keynote speaker for Pisgah Legal Services’ 6th Annual Poverty Forum, “Ending Child Poverty Now,” on Wednesday, October 5, 2016. The Forum will be held at Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville.

“Each year, Pisgah Legal Services provides free civil legal aid to more than 15,000 low-income people in Western North Carolina. Approximately one-third of the people we help are children,” said Jim Barrett, Executive Director of the nonprofit law firm. “We host a Poverty Forum each year to bring attention to the everyday struggles faced by people living in poverty in our mountains, to encourage activism and to offer ways we can work together to make our communities stronger.”

Barrett continues, “This year our focus is on the youngest of those trapped in poverty. We are thrilled to welcome Marian Wright Edelman who is one of our country’s strongest voices and advocates for the rights and well-being of children.”

Marian Wright Edelman has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional life. A graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School, Edelman was the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar and directed the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund office in Jackson, Mississippi. At the Forum she will share the results of a new Children’s Defense Fund study, “Ending Child Poverty Now.” It shows that by making modest investments in existing programs and policies that increase employment, make work pay, and ensure children’s basic needs are met, the nation could reduce child poverty by 60 percent and lift 6.6 million children out of poverty.

Edelman has received more than 100 honorary degrees and many awards including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize, the Heinz Award, a MacArthur Foundation Prize Fellowship, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award, and the Robert F. Kennedy Lifetime Achievement Award.

The October event begins with a cocktail reception at 5:30 pm, and the forum follows at 7:00 pm at the Diana Wortham Theatre in downtown Asheville. Tickets are $50/person for the reception and forum, $15/person for the forum only and are available at www.pisgahlegal.org starting on August 15. PLS wishes to thank the more than 40 sponsors who help make this event possible.

Since 1978, PLS has helped low-income people meet their basic needs, such as protection from domestic violence, avoiding homelessness, finding safe housing, and accessing health care and subsistence income. Pisgah Legal Services has 18 attorneys on staff, and relies heavily on the pro bono legal services of 300+ volunteer attorneys and the help of more than 50 office volunteers. PLS’ main service area includes six counties in WNC, with offices in Asheville, Brevard, Hendersonville, and Rutherfordton. For more information, call Pisgah Legal Services at 828-253-0406 or toll free at 800-489-6144 or go to pisgahlegal.org.