Improving the lives of children is a personal calling for Louisiana first lady Donna Edwards. Before her husband, Gov. John Bel Edwards, took office in 2016, Donna Edwards spent eight years as a music teacher for her local public elementary school. She knew that many children in her classroom faced unknown hardships at home, but she didn’t realize how deeply trauma impacts children in different ways until 2017. That was the year that Dr. Charles Zeanah, a leading authority on adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), invited her to participate in a comprehensive program offered by the Early Childhood Leadership Institute.
“I could have been a much better teacher had I understood that a disruptive child wasn’t trying to make my day miserable, but instead could have been treated badly or witnessed something terrible before coming to school and acting out was the only way to express the pain and anger being felt at the time,” says Donna Edwards.
That awakening spurred her to take action. Most recently, working with Delery Rice, senior director of special projects for her Louisiana First Foundation, she helped support a Louisiana State Senate bill that requires teachers and school counselors be trained in trauma-informed education. The bill passed and was signed into law by Gov. Edwards.
Unfortunately, Louisiana’s citizens are all too familiar with natural disasters, which place an added burden on children and families. In 2020 alone, the state faced three major hurricanes in addition to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. “It’s trauma on top of trauma, and teachers need help understanding how these events are impacting their students,” Donna Edwards says.
Shortly after becoming first lady, she launched the Louisiana First Foundation to help support women, children and families. Her three main initiatives are: Teach MAM (Music, Art, and Movement), Louisiana Fosters, and Human Trafficking Prevention and Awareness.
Through Teach MAM, she works with schools on the benefits of incorporating music, art, and movement classes into daily curriculums. Studies have shown that when combined with core subjects, these courses help students focus, stay in school and graduate.
In 2017, Donna Edwards launched Louisiana Fosters to help connect foster parents and children with a supportive network of resources through government, non-profit, businesses and faith-based organizations. Working with the state Department of Children and Family Services to promote adoption from foster care, Louisiana in 2020 celebrated its 4th highest number of adoptions in a single year.
Sadly, human trafficking is also a source of extreme trauma for children in Louisiana and throughout our nation. In response, Donna Edwards created the Human Trafficking Prevention and AwarenessInitiative. It is the first of its kind in the state. She also hosts virtual summits on global human sex trafficking and will kick off a campaign to increase awareness of this crime, working in conjunction with significant sporting events in Louisiana.
Additionally, Donna Edwards works closely with the state’s Office of Juvenile Justice to ensure judges are trauma informed.
Molly Brown, who works in the first lady’s office, currently manages the Louisiana Community within PACEsConnection.com.
“I am a big believer in not reinventing the wheel,” Donna Edwards says. “The more opportunities we have to connect and share resources and best practices, the better our outcomes will be. PACEs Connection provides that opportunity for those working in this field.”
Edwards came into her role without a roadmap. “There was no job description for being first lady,” she says. “The only requirement was to be married to the governor!” But her background as a music educator, business manager, and community volunteer prepared her well.
With her youngest in pre-kindergarten in 2007, long before she entered public life, Donna Edwards returned to school and earned a teaching certificate. The school system in her parish was awarded federal disaster assistance funding after Hurricane Katrina and added a school music and arts program. She was hired as an elementary music teacher. Taking a leap, she wrote her own curriculum in which every child learned to read music and play a recorder. She even brought high school band members to class to demonstrate their instruments. “I had a lot of fun,” she says.
Now, as first lady, she is focused on helping a broader range of professionals—including teachers, caseworkers, foster care parents, judges, and those in law enforcement—understand how trauma affects the mental health of students.
“The more we talk about trauma, the more it will help us understand why we do the things we do,” she says. “It’s all about relationships. Forming powerful relationships can make such a difference in a child’s life and future.”
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