Marian Wright Edelman Graces Effie Jones Affair
By Lenay Dunn
“Sometimes you have to stick your neck out and put your tail on the line,” just like a turtle, Effie Hall Jones was known to say.
That advice is raised anew each year at the AASA National Conference on Education during a luncheon event in memory of Jones, a much-revered career educator. Jones, former associate executive director of AASA, left a legacy of risk taking and creating opportunities. At Saturday’s annual luncheon, Jones’ impact on women and minority leaders in education was palpable. Attendees remarked over and over about how Jones made them feel special, capable and full of potential.
Three of the four Effie H. Jones Memorial Award recipients and the 2010 AASA National Superintendent of the Year, Elizabeth Molina Morgan, were present at the luncheon. (See coverage of the Effie Jones Awards in the Conference Daily Online.) Each award recipient gave brief remarks on Jones’ legacy and the barriers that continue today for women and minorities in educational leadership.
Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children’s Defense Fund and a long time advocate for children’s rights, delivered the keynote address. Her connection to Jones’ legacy was undeniable.
Edelman implored attendees, “This is the time to take risks. It is a time of great challenge and opportunity.” Similar to Jones’ turtle analogy, Edelman asked attendees to stick their necks out for children.
Children, she reminded the attendees, are affected by the messages of our culture and our public policies. So, she said, school leaders must educate the whole child to shape a promising future for our children.
“We need to change the pipeline from cradle to prison to cradle to college,” the keynote speaker challenged.
Edelman explained that America spends three times more on prisons than it does on schools. This nation must invest in all children to provide them opportunities to reach their potential, she said. Too many drop out of school, are victims of murder or cannot escape the cycle of poverty.
Edelman recognized the unique influence AASA members can have to redirect that trajectory. First, she asked everyone to remember that schools are about children. Second, she challenged adults to serve as examples and mentors for children by modeling the behavior they expect. Third, she asked all adults to provide a public policy voice for children.
“We know what to do,” Edelman reminded the lunch crowd, “but how do we make it happen?” We create a movement, she says, to demonstrate how much we value children.
Edelman’s quiet, steady and compelling voice captured a rapt audience.