dpam exam in mississippi, the first black woman ever to do so and then opening offices for the naacp and headstart program for children who desperately needed it. i think of her with robert kennedy in a tiny shack in the delta opening his eyes to the realities of poverty in america. i think of her with dr. martin luther king jr. starting the poor people s campaign and dreaming of an america, of equality and opportunity. you have to look at marion s life and ask how did she beat the odds when so many gave up the hopes of those early days? for marion, it has always been about children and families. that s what matters and that s what has kept her going, helping to open public schools to children with disabilities in the 1970s, an effort i was honored to be part of. working to expand medicaid in