Marian Wright Edelman, founder of the Children's Defense Fund, opened a weekend symposium at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG) with a call to women to unify and become a more powerful force in politics and religion.

The symposium, called Core Connections, brought together distinguished women of varied backgrounds and disciplines to discuss women, religion and public policy. It was a collaboration between the Kennedy School and the Harvard Divinity School.

Edelman, a champion of increased rights for children and the poor, spoke at the ARCO Forum to the 125 women attending the symposium and about 75 Harvard students.

"It is the legacy of seeing a need and responding to it that I value," Edelman said as she described the women of faith who have been her inspiration, including Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mary McLeod Bethune and the biblical Moses' mother and sister.

Edelman's message was one of the empowerment of women, especially in the political realm.

"I want women's voices to be heard in the political process," she said. "We are far from being as powerful as our numbers or our needs require."

She also advocated the empowerment of women in their religious organizations, above and beyond the changes brought on by the women's movement in the 1970s.

"Women must strengthen our voice in religious establishments," said Edelman, who is also an author and the former director of Harvard's Center for Law and Education.

She discussed the wealth of power that women in religion could potentially wield.

"We women represent nearly two-thirds of religious congregations," she said. " If black women left the church, it would collapse tomorrow."

Edelman also spoke about the state of children in America, emphasizing the lack of value placed on their welfare.

"No other industrialized nation allows their children to live in poverty and not to have health care," Edelman said. "Children don't vote...don't make campaign contributions and so haven't had a strong voice."

There must be more, well-qualified teachers to be catalysts for change in the failing educational system, she added.

"Public schools are the crucible of democracy. It is a shame that in our rich nation no school has educated every child for high achievement," she said. "I hope more young people will become teachers and see these problems as a challenge."

Edelman conceded that the quality of Head Start--a program initiated by the Children's Defense Fund to provide educational opportunities to children living in poverty--often varies from mediocre to excellent, depending on the local program.

But she maintained that the problems with Head Start can be ameliorated.

"I am opposed to Head Start being cut, but Head Start has to change, " Edelman said.

Some students said her speech and optimism inspired them to make a difference.

"In the midst of all of the statistics and economics here this was someone who reminded us what we can really do," said Rachel D. Hitch, a first-year Kennedy School student.

"She inspired people to keep fighting, to take on things that that they might not have before, and to be creative," said Kamal I. Latham, a KSG second-year student and president of Harvard's chapter of the NAACP. "I was inspired to keep fighting."

The atmosphere at the opening of the symposium was one of collaboration, and the overwhelming desire for change.

"I find great hope in that a woman can make a difference," said Janice Shaw Crouse, a speechwriter for former President George Bush and symposium participant.

Edelman echoed Crouse's statement.

"We cannot simply play the game that men have been playing for so long," Edelman said. "It is time for women of faith to stand up and create a powerful voice; to bring new messages and new values."