FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 25, 2000 CONTACT: Lisa Lacher, (515) 271-3119 EDELMAN TO GIVE BUCKSBAUM LECTURE MARCH 8 Marian Wright Edelman, founder and president of the Children's Defense Fund, will give the Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture on Wednesday, March 8, at Drake University. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, is titled "By What Shall We Live?" The event will start at 8 p.m. in Sheslow Auditorium in Old Main, 26th Street and University Avenue. A reception and book-signing will follow in Levitt Hall in Old Main. Edelman has been an advocate for disadvantaged Americans for her entire professional career. Under her leadership, the Washington-based CDF has become a strong national voice for children and families, particularly poor and minority children and those with disabilities. A graduate of Spelman College and Yale Law School and the first black woman admitted to the Mississippi Bar, Edelman is the recipient of many honorary degrees and awards, including the Albert Schweitzer Humanitarian Prize. She also is the author of several books, including "Families in Peril: An Agenda for Social Change" and "Lanterns: A Memoir of Mentors." In connection with Edelman's visit to Drake, a Public Service Advocacy Panel will be held from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. March 8 in the Cowles Library Reading Room, 28th Street and University Avenue. The panel will focus on how child advocacy can be accomplished in local communities. Panelists will be Don Nickerson, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Iowa; Martha Willits, president and chief professional officer of United Way of Central Iowa; Mike Hudson, state coordinator of the Children's Defense Fund; and Elizabeth Salinas Newby, director of the Iowa Office of Latino Affairs. In addition, there will be an informal conversation with Edelman from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. March 8 in the Cowles Library Reading Room. Both the panel discussion and informal conversation are free and open to the public. The Martin Bucksbaum Distinguished Lecture Series, established at Drake in 1996, is made possible by a gift from Melva and the late Martin Bucksbaum, former chairman and president of General Growth Corp. and a long-time member of Drake's governing board.