FUNDING FOR STEP BY STEP
WAS PROVIDED BY THE HILLDALE FUND
THE ANONYMOUS FUND
THE DIVISION OF CONTINUING STUDIES
THE HUMANISTIC FUND
ALL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
AND BY THE WISCONSIN SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMISSION
THE EVJUE FOUNDATION
AND THE WISCONSIN HUMANITIES COUNCIL.
* STEP BY STEP, THE LONGEST MARCH *
* CAN BE WON, CAN BE WON... *
Narrator: STEP BY STEP, GENERATION AFTER GENERATION
AMERICAN WOMEN HAVE FOUGHT FOR THEIR RIGHTS.
* AND BY UNION WHAT WE WILL *
* CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED STILL... *
Narrator: REACHING ACROSS DIFFERENCES
OF AGE, CULTURE, WEALTH AND RACE
THESE WOMEN UNITED
TO CHALLENGE THE CUSTOMS AND LAWS
THAT HELD THEM BACK.
THEY CALLED THE DISCRIMINATION "SEXISM."
AND THEY ORGANIZED TO END IT.
Group: EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK !
WHEN DO WE WANT IT ? NOW !
* STEP BY STEP, THE LONGEST MARCH *
* CAN BE WON, CAN BE WON *
* CAN BE WON... *
WHEN I TALK TO YOUNG WOMEN
WHO DON'T EVEN BEGIN TO KNOW ABOUT THE STRUGGLE THAT WAS
NOT TO MENTION THE STRUGGLE THAT IS.
AND WHEN WE TALK TO THEM
ABOUT THE ROAD OVER WHICH WE'VE COME
AND THE TROUBLED WATERS OVER WHICH WE'VE COME
AND YET, STILL WE'VE SURVIVED
AND WE'VE HELPED TO MAKE THINGS DIFFERENT FOR THEM--
NOT COMPLETE, BUT BETTER FOR THEM--
IT'S AMAZING WHEN THEY SAY TO US
THAT THEY HAVEN'T HEARD THE STORY.
Narrator: THIS IS THE STORY OF THE GENERATION OF MIDWESTERN WOMEN
WHO CONTINUED THE STRUGGLES
FOR EQUALITY AND JUSTICE IN THE DECADES AFTER
WOMEN WON THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
THEY CAME OUT OF THE REGION'S LABOR UNIONS
POLITICAL PARTIES, RELIGIOUS ORDERS AND UNIVERSITIES
AND BEGAN THEIR EFFORTS DURING WORLD WAR II.
I WAS AT SWARTHMORE AS A FRESHMAN.
DECEMBER 7 HAPPENED VERY EARLY, YOU SEE, IN MY COLLEGE YEARS.
AND THE MEN DISAPPEARED.
AND IN LOOKING BACK, I REALIZE THAT BECAUSE OF THAT
AND I EVEN KNEW IT THEN
I HAD ROLES OF LEADERSHIP THAT WERE EXTRAORDINARY.
I GOT TO GO TO A LEADERSHIP TRAINING INSTITUTE
AT CAMPOBELLO, THE ROOSEVELT'S HOME, FOR FIVE WEEKS--
SAT ON THE FLOOR WITH MRS. ROOSEVELT.
BUT I WAS PICKED BECAUSE, AS I LATER READ IN A LETTER
"JOHN CHAPMAN HAD GONE IN THE NAVY
"PETER CUDE HAD GONE IN THE ARMY
AND HERE'S MARY LOU ROGERS."
AND THAT STAYED, I THINK, IN MY MEMORY
THAT LITTLE KERNEL.
"HERE SHE IS," BUT ONLY BECAUSE
THE MEN HAD LEFT.
MY FIRST REAL PAYING JOB WAS A JOB AT ARMOUR AND COMPANY.
I WAS HIRED THERE IN 1941.
AND I WAS TAKEN STRAIGHT TO THE CANNING DEPARTMENT
TO PACK STEW IN CANS FOR THE ARMY.
AND I FOUND OUT THAT THE WOMEN ON THE LINE
MADE 62 AND A FRACTION OF A CENTS AN HOUR
AND THAT THE MEN MADE 14 CENTS AN HOUR
MORE THAN THE WOMEN.
AND I DISCOVERED THAT MOST OF THE WOMEN
THOUGHT THAT MEN'S WORK WAS VALUED MORE THAN WOMEN'S WORK
AND THAT IT WAS ALL RIGHT TO DO THAT.
Narrator: DESPITE UNEQUAL PAY, WOMEN WORKED IN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBERS
DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
THERE WAS A 50 PERCENT INCREASE
IN THE NUMBER OF WOMEN EMPLOYED OUTSIDE THE HOME.
WORKERS FOR VICTORY.
IT'S THE ASSEMBLY LINE
THAT INTERESTS UNCLE SAM'S DAUGHTERS.
THE WAR PRODUCTION BOARD
EXPECTS A MILLION WOMEN IN INDUSTRY THIS YEAR.
Dorothy Haener: WELL, WOMEN WERE DOING ALL KIS OF WORK.
THEY WERE DOING RIVETING.
THEY WERE OPERATING CRANES.
THEY WERE DOING INSPECTION.
THEY SENT ME TO SCHOOL
AND TAUGHT ME HOW TO BE A FINAL INSPECTOR
AND TAUGHT HOW TO READ PRINTS AND READ ALL THE GAUGES
AND STUFF THAT I'D NEED TO DO INSPECTION WORK.
WELL, THE WAGES WERE REALLY CONSIDERABLY HIGHER
THAN ANY OF US HAD EVER MADE BEFORE.
( crowd cheering )
AT UNITED STATES EMPLOYMENT OFFICES
FORMER WAR WORKERS LINE UP TO REGISTER FOR NEW JOBS.
Haener: WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER
IT WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT.
I FINALLY WENT BACK TO WORK AT KAISER FRAZER
BUT I HIRED IN DOING A CLERICAL JOB.
WHEN I STARTED WORKING IN THE OFFICE
I WAS, NUMBER ONE, OUTRAGED
BECAUSE THEY WOULDN'T GIVE ME AN INSPECTION JOB;
AND NUMBER TWO, MY WAGES WERE MUCH LESS
THAN I WOULD HAVE MADE IN THE PLANT.
Munts: I REALIZED WHEN THE WAR WAS OVER
THAT THAT PERIOD OF MY LIFE WAS OVER.
THANKS MATES, FOR A JOB WELL DONE.
Munts: IN A SENSE, I KNEW THE MEN WERE COMING BACK
AND THE ROLE OF LEADERSHIP
WAS GOING TO PASS BACK TO MALE LEADERSHIP.
I THREW MYSELF, I THINK, INTO THE ROLE OF MOTHER--
HAD FOUR CHILDREN
AND A RATHER INTENSE VOLUNTEER LIFE.
MANY OF THE TALENTS THAT I HAD, THAT I DEVELOPED
THROUGH MY POLITICAL WORK IN COLLEGE, AND ALL
FIT IN BEAUTIFULLY TO THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS
AND POLITICS HERE IN MADISON, WHAT I CALL THE "DO GOOD WOMEN"
THAT WERE THE BACKBONE, REALLY, OF COMMUNITY LIFE.
Narrator: POST-WAR PROSPERITY FUELED THE RAPID GROWTH OF SUBURBS
AND ALLOWED MANY WOMEN, LIKE MARY LOU MUNTS
TO DEVOTE THEMSELVES TO FAMILY AND COMMUNITY LIFE.
A FEW WOMEN WENT INTO BUSINESS.
GENE BOYER AND HER HUSBAND, A FORMER BASEBALL PLAYER
OPENED A FURNITURE STORE IN BEAVER DAM, WISCONSIN.
Gene Boyer: I IMMEDIATELY WENT TO THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
AND I PURCHASED TWO MEMBERSHIPS IN THE CHAMBER
ONE FOR MYSELF, AND ONE FOR MY HUSBAND.
BUT WITHIN ABOUT A COUPLE OF MONTHS
THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
PAID A VISIT TO THE STORE AND TOOK MY HUSBAND ASIDE
AND ASKED HIM IF HE WOULD SEE TO IT
THAT I WOULDN'T COME TO ANY MORE
OF THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEETINGS
BECAUSE THE MEN WERE MADE UNCOMFORTABLE BY MY PRESENCE.
IT WAS SUCH A PUT-DOWN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE I WAS--
I WAS THE BUSINESSWOMAN.
MY HUSBAND WAS PREVIOUSLY A BASEBALL PLAYER.
Narrator: THE ECONOMY BOOMED
AS MANUFACTURERS PUSHED TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR CONSUMER GOODS
ESPECIALLY AUTOMOBILES.
RISING CONSUMER ASPIRATIONS
AND INCREASING EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
PULLED AN EVER-GROWING NUMBER OF WIVES AND MOTHERS
INTO PAID WORK OUTSIDE THE HOME.
Doris Thom: WE WANTED A HOME OF OUR OWN SO BADLY.
AND SO, I WENT TO THE GM PLANT.
THAT WAS ONE OF THE BETTER PAYING JOBS.
THEY HAD NOT TOO MANY WOMEN.
BUT WOMEN WERE RELEGATED
TO THE CUSHION LINE AT THAT TIME.
I WENT IN UNDER THE OBJECTION OF MY BROTHER.
MY OLDER BROTHER WAS VERY ACTIVE IN LOCAL 95 UNION AT THAT TIME.
HE HAD BEEN PRESIDENT, AND SO ON.
HE ALWAYS SORT OF FELT LIKE
THAT WASN'T A PLACE FOR WOMEN TO WORK.
BUT I GUESS AS MUCH AS I THOUGHT OF HIM
I FIGURED, "YOU'RE THERE, WHY CAN'T I BE?"
Narrator: LIKE DORIS THOM, MOST WAGE-EARNING WOMEN
WERE CONCENTRATED IN LOW-PAYING OCCUPATIONS.
WOMEN SEEKING IMPROVED EMPLOYMENT CONDITIONS
SOUGHT SUPPORT
FROM THE MIDWEST'S MORE PROGRESSIVE LABOR UNIONS
INCLUDING THE UNITED PACKINGHOUSE WORKERS
AND THE UNITED AUTO WORKERS.
I ALWAYS SAY THAT THE UNION REALLY EDUCATED ME, YOU KNOW.
I HAD WENT TO SCHOOL, BUT I REALLY DIDN'T GET EDUCATED
UNTIL I'D BECOME ASSOCIATED WITH THE LABOR MOVEMENT.
IT TAUGHT ME ALL OF THE BROADER PROBLEMS
THAT WE FACE IN OUR SOCIETY.
AND IT TAUGHT ME HOW TO USE THE TALENTS I HAD.
IT TAUGHT ME HOW TO SPEAK
AND HOW TO GET UP AT A MEETING AND PROJECT MY OWN THOUGHTS.
AND IT TAUGHT ME, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE ISSUES WERE
AND WHERE I LINED UP, AS FAR AS THE ISSUES WERE CONCERNED.
Wyatt: I WAS A MEMBER, FIRST
OF THE UNITED PACKINGHOUSE WORKERS UNION, U.P.W.A.
WHICH WAS A VERY PROGRESSIVE UNION.
OUR WORKERS FOUGHT TOGETHER
BEFORE THE CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE OF THE '50s AND '60s
TO ELIMINATE THE WAGE DIFFERENTIAL
THAT EXISTED BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN;
THE WAGE DIFFERENTIAL THAT EXISTED
BETWEEN THE WORKERS IN THE NORTH AND IN THE SOUTH.
ANTI-DISCRIMINATION WAS MANDATORY
WITHIN ALL OF OUR RANKS.
AND OF COURSE, WE HAD TO LEARN HOW TO LIVE WITH IT
AND HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
Haener: IN 1946, THE U.A.W. WOMEN'S DEPARTMENT
SET UP A REGIONAL WOMEN'S COMMITTEE.
AND I WAS APPOINTED TO THAT REGIONAL WOMEN'S COMMITTEE.
SO I BECAME WELL-ACQUAINTED WITH OTHER WOMEN
AT THAT POINT IN TIME IN THE U.A.W.
NOW, AS A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
OF THE U.A.W. LOCAL 95, IN JANESVILLE
I WAS THEN SENT TO THE WOMEN'S COMMITTEE CENTRAL HEADQUARTERS.
THAT WAS HELD IN MILWAUKEE.
OUR REGION 10 WAS CENTERED THERE AT THAT TIME.
IT WAS A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
I REALLY LEARNED A LOT FROM THE WOMEN.
BECAUSE MOST OF THESE WOMEN
WHO HAD WORKED IN THE PLANTS-- ALL IN THE WHOLE AREA
WORKED EVERYWHERE IN THE PLANT.
AND THAT'S WHERE THE SEED BEGAN TO GROW IN MY MIND.
WHY WAS I CORNERED IN ONE LITTLE CORNER
ON THE CUSHION LINE
WHEN THE WAGES WERE MUCH BETTER
THE WORK, ITSELF, WAS MUCH EASIER
SOMEWHERE ELSE IN THE PLANT ?
Narrator: WOMEN WERE RAISING MANY QUESTIONS
ABOUT LIMITATIONS THEY FACED IN THE WORK PLACE
QUESTIONS THAT SURFACED IN 1953
AT A U.P.W.A. CONFERENCE ON DISCRIMINATION.
Wyatt: IN MY REPORT
AS A DELEGATE, I EMPHASIZED THE FACT
THAT WE NEEDED TO HAVE WOMEN LEADERS.
AND WE SUGGESTED THAT WE'D HAVE
A WHITE MALE PRESIDENT OF OUR LOCAL UNION
AND WE SHOULD HAVE A WOMAN VICE-PRESIDENT.
AND SOME OF THE OLDER WOMEN CAME TO ME AND SAID
"YOU KNOW, IT IS SO MOVING WHAT WE'RE DOING.
"AND I THINK WE CAN REALLY ACCOMPLISH IT.
"BUT WE CAN'T FIND A WOMAN WHO WILL RUN
SO WE NEED TO ASK YOU TO DO THAT."
AND I DIDN'T WANT TO HEAR IT.
I WAS ALREADY INVOLVED IN MY CHURCH.
I WAS INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY WORKING WITH YOUTH.
AND I HAD CHILDREN AT HOME
AND A WONDERFUL YOUNG HUSBAND.
AND I DID NOT WANT TO BE A LEADER IN THE UNION.
Narrator: RELUCTANTLY, ADDIE WYATT AGREED TO RUN.
SHE WON THE ELECTION AS VICE-PRESIDENT.
SHORTLY AFTERWARD, THE PRESIDENT RESIGNED
AND WYATT BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT
OF A U.P.W.A. LOCAL.
Wyatt: IT TOOK ME ABOUT THREE MONTHS
TO REALLY SAY TO MY HUSBAND
THAT "I AM THE PRESIDENT OF A LOCAL UNION."
AND HE JUST SAID TO ME
"WELL, IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE THE PRESIDENT OF A LOCAL UNION
WE CAN'T LEAVE THINGS UNDONE HERE AT HOME."
AND THAT'S USUALLY, YOU KNOW
THE MALE POSITION THAT THEY TAKE.
AND I PROMISED THAT NOTHING WOULD GO LACKING AT HOME.
BUT BECAUSE WE WERE DEPENDING UPON THE UNION
TO HELP US, TO MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR OURSELVES AND OUR CHILDREN
WE HAD A RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
Haener: MY AMBITION, REALLY
WAS SERVING ON THE TOP NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE.
AND I WON THAT ELECTION.
AND OF COURSE, IT WAS A REAL BREAKTHROUGH FOR ME.
AND SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT I WAS ASSOCIATED WITH
ESPECIALLY SOME OF THE MEN--
ALTHOUGH SOME OF THE MEN SUPPORTED ME STRONGLY--
BUT THE ONES WHO I THOUGHT WOULD BE THE MOST SUPPORTIVE
THEY REALLY DIDN'T.
AND IT WAS A BITTER LESSON FOR ME TO LEARN.
IT REALLY WAS.
THEY DIDN'T THINK THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE
WAS A GOOD SPOT FOR A WOMAN
THAT, YOU KNOW, THE KIND OF LANGUAGE
AND DISCUSSION IN NEGOTIATIONS--
THAT I WOULDN'T LIKE IT.
THEY DIDN'T THINK I SHOULD BE DOING IT.
Narrator: AS LABOR WOMEN WERE GAINING GROUND IN THEIR UNIONS
POLITICAL ACTIVISTS
WERE CARVING OUT PLACES FOR THEMSELVES
IN THE PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL PARTIES FORMING IN THE MIDWEST
LIKE THE D.F.L.-- THE DEMOCRATIC FARM LABOR PARTY.
WHAT WAS SO UNUSUAL ABOUT THE D.F.L.
WAS THAT FOR EVERY CHAIRMAN, THERE WAS A CHAIRWOMAN.
THERE WAS A POWERFUL SET OF OLDER WOMEN
WHO BECAME ROLE MODELS FOR ME.
Narrator: IN 1948, ARVONNE SKELTON TOOK A JOB WITH THE D.F.L.
Arvonne Fraser: I'LL NEVER FORGET A YOUNG MAN AND I WERE WORKING TOGETHER--
WE WERE GOING TO GET RAISES.
I DISCOVERED HE GOT MORE THAN I DID.
AND I WENT INTO FREEMAN, THE CHAIR, WHO WAS A LAWYER
AND SAID, "HOW COME HE GOT MORE OF A RAISE THAN I DID ?"
AND HE SAID, "BECAUSE YOU'RE A WOMAN."
I WAS FURIOUS.
I'VE NEVER FORGOTTEN IT, OBVIOUSLY.
Narrator: DURING THE 1940s AND 50s
WOMEN DID THE GROUNDWORK TO STRENGTHEN THE PARTY.
Fraser: THEY KNEW HOW TO WORK THE SYSTEM.
THEY KNEW HOW TO RUN CAMPAIGNS.
THEY RAISED MONEY.
THEY KNEW EVERYBODY.
THEY GOT ALL THE LITERATURE OUT.
THEY DID THE PHONING.
THE WOMEN RAN THE INFRASTRUCTURE
AND THE GUYS RAN FOR OFFICE.
Narrator: ARVONNE SKELTON'S MARRIAGE TO DON FRASER IN 1950
FORGED JUST SUCH A POLITICAL PARTNERSHIP.
A PARTY OFFICIAL, HERSELF
SHE RAN SEVERAL SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGNS
TO ELECT HER HUSBAND TO STATE OFFICE IN MINNESOTA.
THEN, HE DECIDED TO RUN FOR THE U.S. CONGRESS.
Fraser: WHAT WAS A LITTLE IRRITATING
WAS THAT WE PAID FOR HOUSEHOLD HELP
SO I COULD RUN THE CAMPAIGN.
BUT SOMEHOW, THE MYSTIQUE WAS
THAT HE HAD TO HAVE A MALE CAMPAIGN MANAGER IN NAME
AND PAY HIM.
THAT WAS HARD FOR THE MALE CAMPAIGN MANAGER
AND IT IRRITATED THE HECK OUT OF ME.
BUT I LOVED RUNNING THE CAMPAIGN.
Narrator: WHEN JOHN F. KENNEDY TOOK OFFICE IN 1961
WOMEN HOPED HIS CAMPAIGN THEME OF A "NEW FRONTIER"
WOULD INCLUDE EXPANDED OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM.
Haener: DURING THE '60s PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION
WHEN KENNEDY WAS ELECTED
WOMEN WERE VERY ACTIVE IN THAT CAMPAIGN.
THEY ENCOURAGED THEM TO BE ACTIVE.
AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY ENCOURAGED THEM TO BE ACTIVE.
Woman: MR. PRESIDENT, THE DEMOCRATIC PLATFORM
IN WHICH YOU RAN FOR ELECTION
PROMISES TO WORK FOR EQUAL RIGHTS FOR WOMEN
INCLUDING EQUAL PAY.
NOW, YOU HAVE MADE EFFORTS ON BEHALF OF OTHERS.
WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR THE WOMEN
ACCORDING TO THE PROMISES OF THE PLATFORM ?
WELL, I'M SURE WE HAVEN'T DONE ENOUGH...
( laughter )
Narrator: UNDER PRESSURE TO TAKE WOMEN'S ISSUES SERIOUSLY
PRESIDENT KENNEDY ESTABLISHED A COMMISSION
ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
AND APPOINTED FORMER FIRST LADY, ELEANOR ROOSEVELT, AS CHAIR.
THE COMMISSION WAS ESTABLISHED
TO EXAMINE THE NEEDS AND RIGHTS OF AMERICAN WOMEN TODAY
AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS
FOR THE ELIMINATION OF BARRIERS
THAT RESULT IN WASTE, INJUSTICE AND FRUSTRATION.
I FEEL CONFIDENT THAT IN THE YEARS AHEAD
MANY OF THE REMAINING OUTMODED BARRIERS TO WOMEN'S ASPIRATIONS
WILL DISAPPEAR.
Wyatt: I WAS APPOINTED TO SERVE
ON THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN.
OUR JOB WAS TO MAKE A STUDY OF THE STATUS OF AMERICAN WOMEN
TO HOLD CONFERENCES THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY
AND TO REPORT TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY
OUR FINDINGS AND ALSO RECOMMENDATIONS
TO MAKE THE STATUS OF WOMEN
IN OUR COUNTRY BETTER
TO IMPROVE THEIR PLIGHT, ECONOMICALLY
POLITICALLY AND SOCIALLY.
ONE OF MY ASSIGNMENTS WAS TO RESEARCH
ALL OF THE SUPREME COURT CASES
HAVING TO DO WITH DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN
IT WAS UNDER THE 14th AMENDMENT.
THE ISSUE WAS: DO WE NEED ANOTHER AMENDMENT ?
DO WE NEED AN EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT ?
SO, THEY WANTED ME TO RESEARCH THE CASES THUS FAR.
AND IT WAS A REAL EYE-OPENER.
I WAS VERY SURPRISED
TO LEARN THAT WOMEN REALLY WERE NOT EQUAL, LEGALLY
IN THIS COUNTRY UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.
Haener: IT REALLY WAS THE FORERUNNER OF BRINGING TOGETHER WOMEN
FROM VERY DIVERSE KINDS OF GROUPS
WHO DISCOVERED THAT THEY HAD THE SAME KIND OF PROBLEMS.
Narrator: AFTER TWO YEARS OF STUDY, THE COMMISSION ISSUED ITS REPORT
ENTITLED, "AMERICAN WOMEN."
IN HONOR OF ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
WHO DIED AS THEY WERE COMPLETING THEIR WORK
THE COMMISSIONERS
CHOSE HER BIRTHDAY IN OCTOBER, 1963
TO PRESENT THEIR RESULTS TO PRESIDENT KENNEDY.
IN THE MONTHS THAT FOLLOWED
INDIVIDUAL STATES CREATED GROUPS TO STUDY WOMEN'S LIVES.
AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
PROFESSOR KATHRYN CLARENBACH
CALLED A CONFERENCE IN FEBRUARY, 1964
TO LAUNCH THAT STATE'S COMMISSION.
Boyer: AND I'LL NEVER FORGET
WATCHING KATHRYN CLARENBACH
TALKING ABOUT THE REAL CONDITIONS
OF WOMEN IN OUR SOCIETY.
IT WAS LIKE OPENING UP THE FLOOD GATES OF EMOTIONS
THAT I HAD ACCUMULATED OVER ALL THOSE PREVIOUS YEARS
OF FEELING THAT I WAS SOMEHOW A STRANGER IN THIS WORLD.
I CAN HEAR HER VOICE, EVEN TODAY, SAYING
"THE CHINESE BIND THE FEET OF THEIR WOMEN.
AND WE BIND THE MINDS OF OUR WOMEN."
IT MADE SUCH AND IMPACT ON ME
THAT THE TEARS JUST BEGAN TO STREAM DOWN MY FACE.
FROM THAT TIME ON, I BECAME A FEMINIST.
I WENT HOME AND LOOKED IT UP IN THE DICTIONARY
BECAUSE I REALIZED THAT I NOW HAD A DIFFERENT VIEW
AND I THINK SHE MUST HAVE USED THE TERM IN HER SPEECH.
IT MEANS THAT YOU ARE A BELIEVER
IN THE EQUALITY OF WOMEN AT ALL LEVELS--
EDUCATIONALLY, ECONOMICALLY, PHILOSOPHICALLY.
AND I THOUGHT, "YES, THAT IS ME.
I DO BELIEVE THAT."
Narrator: ACROSS THE NATION, WOMEN WERE RETHINKING THEIR BELIEFS
AS GENE BOYER DID.
MANY HAD BEGUN TO QUESTION THE CULTURAL PRESSURES
THAT CHANNELED WOMEN
INTO ROLES AS WIVES AND MOTHERS.
BETTY FRIEDAN'S BOOK, THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE
GAVE A NAME TO THE FRUSTRATIONS THEY WERE EXPERIENCING.
I'D GET A CALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT
AND A WOMAN IN PITTSBURGH WOULD SAY
"I PUT MY KIDS IN THEIR PAJAMAS IN THE STATION WAGON.
"I'VE GONE ALL OVER THE CITY
LOOKING FOR A COPY OF THIS BOOK I'VE HEARD ABOUT.
"I KNOW IT'S WHAT I NEED-- AND IT'S WHAT I NEED.
WHERE CAN I GET IT?"
AND IT WAS AS IF THERE WERE MILLIONS OF WOMEN
AND EACH ONE THOUGHT SHE WAS A FREAK, SHE WAS ALONE
IF SHE WASN'T HAVING AN ORGASM WAXING THE KITCHEN FLOOR.
Man: Hey, Judy !
How about a couple of eggs this morning ?
Okay, dear.
But get a move on or you'll be late.
Friedan: NO MATTER HOW MUCH
SHE HAD WANTED THAT HUSBAND, THOSE CHILDREN
THE SUBURBAN DREAM HOUSE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE END
OF EVERY WOMAN'S LIFE THEN--
YET, SOMETIMES, EATING PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES WITH THE KIDS
IN THIS SUBURBAN SEXUAL GHETTO
WHERE BETWEEN THE HOURS OF NINE AND FIVE
NOTHING STIRRED OVER THREE FEET TALL
AND SHE SAID, "IS THIS ALL?"
Fraser: WHEN DON WAS ELECTED TO CONGRESS AND WE MOVED TO WASHINGTON
I WAS DEVASTATED AFTER THE MOVE.
I HAD HAD A REAL CAREER IN MINNESOTA.
EVERYBODY THOUGHT I SHOULD BE DELIGHTED
TO BE SITTING IN THE SUBURBS WITH SIX LITTLE KIDS.
I WAS NOT DELIGHTED.
I HATED IT--
EVEN GOT TO THE POINT OF BEING FAIRLY SERIOUSLY DEPRESSED.
AND A FRIEND GAVE ME
BETTY FRIEDAN'S THE FEMININE MYSTIQUE.
AND THAT SORT OF DID IT.
I READ THIS BOOK, AND I THOUGHT
"SHE'S MISSED THE WHOLE POINT."
I WAS JUST VERY RESENTFUL
BECAUSE I FELT SHE WAS DENIGRATING
THE GREAT WORK THAT I WAS DOING
AND THAT OTHERS WERE DOING IN A VARIETY OF THINGS.
AND THE FACT THAT THIS WAS
NOT ONLY SOMETHING WE ENJOYED DOING;
WE WERE DOING THE REAL WORK FOR THE COMMONWEAL.
ON THE OTHER HAND, SHE PLANTED A LITTLE SEED.
Narrator: IN 1964, WOMEN LOBBIED FOR
AND WON LEGISLATION TO ADVANCE THEIR CAUSE.
CONGRESS PASSES THE MOST SWEEPING CIVIL RIGHTS BILL
EVER TO BE WRITTEN INTO LAW.
THIS CIVIL RIGHTS ACT IS A CHALLENGE TO ALL OF US
TO GO TO WORK IN OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR STATES
IN OUR HOMES AND IN OUR HEARTS
TO ELIMINATE THE LAST VESTIGES OF INJUSTICE
IN OUR BELOVED COUNTRY.
Narrator: TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
PROHIBITED DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT
ON THE BASIS OF SEX, AS WELL AS RACE.
AND ESTABLISHED THE E.E.O.C.
THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION
TO ENFORCE THE NEW LAW.
Thom: WOMEN WERE TALKING ABOUT THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION.
THAT MADE ME THINK, MAYBE THAT'S THE VEHICLE I NEED
TO GET OUT OF THE CUSHIONS LINE.
SO, I WENT BACK TO THE PLANT
AND THE FIRST THING I DID WAS SIGN A GRIEVANCE.
I CALLED MY COMMITTEE MAN
AND I SAID, "I WANT TO FILE A GRIEVANCE.
I WANT TO GET OUT OF THE CUSHION LINE."
IMMEDIATELY, I WAS CALLED IN
THE WHOLE ENTIRE EXECUTIVE BOARD--
I SAT THERE WITH ALL THESE PEOPLE--
PEOPLE FROM DETROIT.
THEY WERE NOT HAPPY WITH ME, LET ME TELL YOU.
I CAN REMEMBER ONE MAN SAYING TO ME, "YOUNG WOMAN
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING ?
DO YOU REALIZE ?"
AND I SAID, "YOU BET YOUR LIFE I DO."
HE SAID, "LOOK AT THE BOOKS
THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO CHANGE."
AND I SAID, "TOUGH."
AS WE WERE PASSING THOSE LAWS
EVEN THE LEGISLATORS WOULD SAY TO US
"WELL, YOU KNOW YOU CAN CHANGE THE LAW
BUT YOU CAN'T CHANGE ATTITUDES."
OF COURSE, THEY WERE RIGHT, BUT WE WOULD SAY TO THEM
"YOU CHANGE THE LAWS, LET US WORRY ABOUT THE ATTITUDES.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT."
Narrator: DORIS THOM WAS ASSIGNED TO A JOB IN THE PITS
PUTTING WEATHER STRIPPING ON CAR DOORS.
PEOPLE WOULD COME FROM ALL OVER THE PLANT
AND POINT AND SAY
"LOOK IT, THERE'S A WOMAN WORKING DOWN THERE !"
THEY'D LOOK LIKE YOU WERE AN ANIMAL IN THE ZOO, OF COURSE.
AT FIRST, I GOT KIND OF A KICK OUT OF IT
THEN IT KIND OF IRKED ME A LITTLE BIT.
BUT THAT DIDN'T BOTHER ME AS MUCH
AS THE FACT THAT NOBODY WOULD TALK TO ME.
I THOUGHT, "HOW AM I GOING TO DO THIS NOW ?
THEY AREN'T SPEAKING TO ME."
SO, I BROUGHT IN TWO CAKES.
I BROUGHT IN A CHOCOLATE CAKE AND A WHITE CAKE.
AND I BROUGHT IN NAPKINS.
I BROUGHT IN LITTLE PAPER PLATES AND FORKS.
AND THEN GRADUALLY, ONE BY ONE, THEY CAME DOWN.
THEY CAME DOWN AND HAD A PIECE OF CAKE.
IT'S A LITTLE HARD NOT TO SAY TO SOMEBODY
"WELL, HAPPY BIRTHDAY," IF THEY'RE EATING YOUR CAKE.
AND THAT DID IT.
THAT BROKE THE ICE.
Narrator: INDIVIDUAL BREAKTHROUGHS, LIKE THOM'S
WERE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN.
WOMEN WERE FLOODING THE EQUAL EMPLOYMENT
OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION WITH GRIEVANCES
ESPECIALLY, CONCERNING THE SEGREGATION OF JOB LISTINGS.
THE COMMISSION WAS FAILING TO ISSUE REGULATIONS
THAT WOULD MAKE NEWSPAPERS STOP ADVERTISING JOBS
UNDER "HELP WANTED: MALE" AND "HELP WANTED: FEMALE."
IF YOU WERE A WOMAN, YOU HAD TO LOOK UNDER THOSE JOBS
THOSE WERE MAINLY, YOU KNOW, CLERKING IN STORES
SECRETARIES-- THIS SORT OF THING.
IF YOU WERE AN ENGINEER
YOU WOULD BE LOOKING UNDER THE "HELP WANTED: MEN."
AND CHANCES WERE THEY WEREN'T INTERESTED IN A WOMAN.
AND E.E.O.C. WAS DOING NOTHING ABOUT THAT.
Boyer: I WOULD TAKE OFF AND GO
TO THE OFFICE OF THE LOCAL NEWSPAPER
AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT THIS POLICY.
IN SHEBOYGAN, THE EDITOR, LITERALLY, GRABBED ME
BY THE SCRUFF OF THE NECK AND TOSSED ME OUT OF HIS OFFICE
BECAUSE HE THOUGHT, I GUESS
THAT I WAS JUST TOO UPPITY A FEMALE TO DEAL WITH.
HE WAS TOTALLY AFFRONTED BY THE SUGGESTION
THAT HE SHOULD CHANGE HIS POLICIES.
Narrator: TIRED OF LOBBYING AND CONDUCTING STUDIES
ONLY TO HAVE THEIR GRIEVANCES IGNORED
REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE COMMISSIONS
ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
GATHERED IN WASHINGTON, D.C. IN JUNE OF 1966
TO TALK STRATEGY.
I REMEMBER SITTING AT THE END OF THE TABLE
AND IN WALKED BETTY FRIEDAN.
AND IN HER USUAL IMPATIENT STYLE
KEPT PUSHING FOR US TO CREATE A RESOLUTION
TO TAKE TO THE FLOOR OF THE CONFERENCE.
ONE OF THEM WAS TO CALL ON THE E.E.O.C.
TO ACTUALLY IMPLEMENT TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT
WHICH HAD NEVER BEEN APPLIED SERIOUSLY TO WOMEN.
AND THAT WAS WHEN KAY CLARENBACH GOT CALLED INTO IT.
OFF SHE WENT TO TRY TO GET THIS TO HAPPEN.
WORD CAME BACK, MUCH TO HER SURPRISE
THEY WERE NOT GOING TO PERMIT US
TO INTRODUCE THESE RESOLUTIONS ON THE FLOOR OF THE CONFERENCE.
AND I THINK THE REASON THAT WAS GIVEN WAS THAT
THIS WAS A CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY GOVERNMENT
AND AT LEAST ONE OF OUR RESOLUTIONS
WAS CRITICAL OF GOVERNMENT.
WE WERE SAYING, YOU KNOW, "GOVERNMENT, DO YOUR JOB
AND IMPLEMENT THIS LAW THAT'S BEEN PASSED !"
SO, WE WERE DENIED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
WELL, THIS MADE BETTY FRIEDAN ABSOLUTELY FURIOUS.
AND WHEN BETTY GETS FURIOUS
IT REALLY STARTS THE WHEELS TURNING.
Haener: BY THAT TIME, THERE HAD BEEN TALK AMONG VARIOUS GROUPS
ABOUT THE NEED TO START A WOMAN'S GROUP.
AND WE KNEW THAT IF WE WERE GOING TO BUILD AN ORGANIZATION
IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING LIKE THE N.A.A.C.P.
IT HAD TO BE A PRESSURE GROUP FROM THE OUTSIDE.
Sr. Austin Doherty: AND SO, N.O.W. WAS FORMED
THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN.
AND EVEN THE WORD "FOR" IS VERY ILLUMINATIVE
BECAUSE IT WASN'T THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF WOMEN.
WE WANTED BOTH WOMEN AND MEN TO BE INVOLVED.
AND SO, WE DISCUSSED EVERY ISSUE UNDER THE SUN
TRIED TO DECIDE WHERE WE SHOULD CENTER OUR EFFORTS.
ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS ABOUT ALL THOSE DIFFERENT WOMEN
WAS THEY BROUGHT SUCH DISPARATE EXPERIENCE.
Narrator: N.O.W. WAS FOUNDED IN OCTOBER, 1966
TO "TAKE ACTION TO BRING WOMEN
INTO TRULY EQUAL PARTNERSHIP WITH MEN."
BETTY FRIEDAN WAS THE FIRST PRESIDENT
KATHRYN CLARENBACH, FIRST CHAIR OF THE BOARD.
UNITED AUTO WORKERS IN DETROIT AND THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN
PROVIDED RESOURCES AND SUPPORT FOR THE NEW ORGANIZATION.
MIDWESTERN WOMEN FROM EDUCATIONAL, RELIGIOUS
POLITICAL AND LABOR GROUPS WERE A MAJORITY
OF N.O.W.'s INITIAL MEMBERS--
SISTER AUSTIN DOHERTY
GENE BOYER
DOROTHY HAENER
DORIS THOM
ADDIE WYATT
AND MARY EASTWOOD
WERE ALL FOUNDING MEMBERS
AND HELPED SET N.O.W.'s PRIORITIES.
Eastwood: WE DECIDED TO PICKET THE E.E.O.C.
FOR FAILING TO REQUIRE EMPLOYERS
TO PUBLISH THEIR WANT ADS IN A NONDISCRIMINATORY MANNER.
AND SO, WE MADE A LOT OF PICKET SIGNS IN MY APARTMENT.
WE WANTED PRESS OF COURSE.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE WERE SCARED
THOSE OF US WHO WERE WORKING IN THE GOVERNMENT.
WE PICKETED DURING OUR LUNCH HOUR
AND IT WAS MY LUCK TO HAVE MY PICTURE
IN THE WASHINGTON POST PICKETING.
MY BOSS INDICATED THAT IT WAS NOT A VERY GOOD IDEA
WHEN YOU'RE WORKING FOR THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE SOMEBODY COULD SPOT ME
AND REALIZE THAT I WORKED FOR THE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT.
Narrator: N.O.W. BEGAN PUSHING FOR FULL LEGAL EQUALITY
IN THE FORM OF AN EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION--
THE E.R.A.
Eastwood: I BELIEVED THAT THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
WAS A MINIMUM COMMITMENT TO THE EQUALITY OF WOMEN.
THE CONSTITUTION IS OUR BASIC DOCUMENT.
AND IT WAS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
THAT IT REFLECT WHAT OUR FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS ARE.
AND I THOUGHT THAT TO BE A FEMINIST
IT MEANS THAT YOU BELIEVE
THAT WOMEN SHOULD BE EQUAL WITH MEN UNDER THE LAW.
ONE OF THE INTERESTING BOARD MEETINGS THAT I REMEMBER
OF THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR WOMEN
WAS A MEETING WE HELD IN CHICAGO
IN THE MID '60s.
AND ONE OF THE WOMEN--
A LAWYER, WHO WAS VERY INFLUENTIAL ON THE BOARD--
SHE WAS THERE.
SHE WAS NOT FEELING WELL.
WE KNEW THAT WE SHOULD GO OUT AND GET SOME MEDICATION FOR HER.
BUT IT WAS LATE AT NIGHT.
I THINK IT WAS, MAYBE, PERHAPS ALMOST MIDNIGHT.
Narrator: SISTERS AUSTIN DOHERTY AND JOEL READ
DECIDED TO WALK SEVERAL BLOCKS TO THE NEAREST PHARMACY.
Doherty: AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO ME
THAT ALL THE OTHER WOMEN ON THE BOARD
RECOGNIZED THAT EVEN THOUGH THEY DIDN'T WANT TO IMPOSE ON US
THEY KNEW THAT THAT WOULD BE THE BEST THING TO DO
BECAUSE WE WERE IN HABIT, AS ROMAN CATHOLIC SISTERS.
AND WE WOULD BE SAFER ON THE STREETS
THAN OTHER WOMEN MIGHT BE.
AS WE REFLECTED ON IT, IT TAUGHT US A GREAT DEAL
ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES
THAT WE ALL HAD TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONCERNED ABOUT.
AND WHY WAS IT THAT CERTAIN WOMEN
MIGHT BE SECURE ON THE STREETS AND OTHER WOMEN WERE NOT ?
Narrator: MEANWHILE, A YOUNGER GENERATION OF ACTIVISTS
WITH EXPERIENCE IN CIVIL RIGHTS, ANTI-WAR
AND RADICAL STUDENT GROUPS BEGAN MOUNTING THEIR OWN PROTESTS
AGAINST SEX DISCRIMINATION.
Woman: YESSIR-EE, BOYS
STEP RIGHT UP !
HOW MUCH AM I OFFERED FOR THIS NUMBER ONE PIECE
OF PRIME AMERICAN PROPERTY ?
Narrator: THEIR DEMONSTRATIONS
LIKE THOSE AT THE 1968 MISS AMERICA PAGEANT
RAISED NEW ISSUES
AND PROMOTED A SOCIAL REVOLUTION
THEY CALLED "WOMEN'S LIBERATION."
* WE'RE GONNA ASK ALL OUR SISTERS HERE *
* TO COME AND JOIN THE FIGHT *
* WE'RE GONNA ASK ALL OUR SISTERS HERE *
* TO COME AND JOIN THE FIGHT... *
* NO MISS AMERICA NO MORE... *
Narrator: PUBLIC PROTESTS WERE DESIGNED
TO CAPTURE MEDIA ATTENTION.
BUT MUCH MORE OF THE WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVEMENT
OCCURRED IN SMALL CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING GROUPS
WHERE WOMEN EXPLORED THE PERSONAL
AND POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS OF BEING FEMALE.
YOU MAY FEEL OPPRESSED FOR A LOT OF REASONS.
BUT HOW DO YOU FEEL OPPRESSED AS A WOMAN ?
WHY DO YOU THINK BEING A WOMAN MIGHT LIMIT YOU ?
Munts: AND SO, WHAT WAS THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT
WAS SOMETHING THAT CAME UPON ME IN A VARIETY OF EXPOSURES.
I REMEMBER ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS THAT HAPPENED.
I WAS ON AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO THE YWCA
AND A YOUNG WOMAN CAME UP FROM CHICAGO.
THIS HAD TO BE EARLY, YOU KNOW, MAYBE '66 OR '67.
AND SHE HAD US SIT AROUND A CIRCLE
AND WE HAD TO GO AROUND
AND SORT OF DESCRIBE, YOU KNOW, "WHERE WE ARE."
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW THE PHRASE, "WHERE WE ARE."
I MEAN, SHE REALLY MEANT WHERE WE ARE IN OUR DEVELOPMENT
OF OUR FEMINIST CONSCIOUSNESS.
I NOW UNDERSTAND THAT'S WHAT SHE MEANT.
BUT IT WAS REALLY QUITE AMAZING
BECAUSE WE DIDN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT WE WERE DOING
BUT WE KNEW WE WERE DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
AND IT WAS BECAUSE WE WERE LISTENING TO THIS YOUNG WOMAN
WHO HAD ALREADY, YOU KNOW, SHE WAS ALREADY SOMEPLACE.
SHE KNEW WHERE SHE WAS.
YOU DON'T HAVE OPPORTUNITIES OPEN TO YOU.
YOU HAVE OPTIONS-- YOU CAN BE SOMEBODY'S WIFE
YOU CAN BE SOMEBODY'S MOTHER
YOU CAN BE SOMEBODY'S LOVER
YOU CAN BE SOMEBODY'S ANYTHING
BUT YOU CAN'T BE A SOMEBODY.
Fraser: THERE WAS JUST BEGINNING TO BE
INFORMATION IN THE NEWSPAPERS
ABOUT THE "YOUNG" WOMEN'S LIB GROUPS.
I WAS TALKING TO OTHER WIVES ABOUT LIVING IN WASHINGTON
ALL THESE DISCUSSIONS AND THIS READING
LED TO CALLING ON SORT OF A GROUP TOGETHER
WITH A BROWN BAG.
WE DECIDED NOBODY WAS GOING TO MAKE A LUNCH, A FANCY LUNCH.
SO, WE WERE ALL GOING TO BRING BROWN BAGS.
AND WE ALSO DECIDED WE WERE NOT GOING TO GO AROUND
AND INTRODUCE OURSELVES AS RELATED TO ANY MAN.
ONE WOMAN SAID, "THIS IS THE FIRST TIME IN 20 YEARS
THAT ANYBODY HAS ASKED ME WHO I AM."
Group: WHAT DO WE WANT ?
EQUALITY.
WHEN DO WE WANT IT ? NOW !
Narrator: AS THE 1970s BEGAN, WOMEN OF ALL GENERATIONS
AND POLITICAL PERSUASIONS
JOINED FORCES TO FIGHT THE SEXISM
THAT PERVADED AMERICAN ATTITUDES AND INSTITUTIONS.
WHEN N.O.W. CALLED A NATIONWIDE STRIKE
FOR EQUALITY ON AUGUST 26, 1970
THE 50th ANNIVERSARY OF WOMEN'S RIGHT TO VOTE
FEMINISTS TOOK TO THE STREETS.
Boyer: I DID A ONE-WOMAN DEMONSTRATION
IN BEAVER DAM, A TOWN OF 14,000
VERY CONSERVATIVE SOULS.
AND I STOOD OUT THERE IN FRONT OF MY FURNITURE STORE
WITH MY BUTTONS AND MY LITERATURE
I DID ALL THE THINGS THEY DID IN NEW YORK
EXCEPT MARCH UP AND DOWN THE STREET.
THE MANAGER OF THE PENNEY'S STORE HAPPENED TO WALK BY
AND GAVE ME THE OLD LINE
ABOUT A WOMAN'S PLACE IS IN THE HOME.
AND I SIMPLY SAID TO HIM
"WELL, WHEN YOU RETURN TO YOUR STORE
"I'D LIKE YOU TO COUNT THE NUMBER OF WOMEN
"AND LET ME KNOW HOW MANY YOU HAVE
"THAT ARE WORKING OUTSIDE OF THE HOME TODAY
AND HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO THEM TO HAVE THAT INCOME."
Narrator: ACROSS THE NATION, IN PLACES LIKE BEAVER DAM
AND MADISON, WISCONSIN
CHICAGO AND NEW YORK
THE SLOGAN WAS: "DON'T IRON WHILE THE STRIKE IS HOT."
THERE IS ANOTHER SLOGAN WOMEN HAVE FOR THIS STRIKE
WHICH SAYS, "SISTERHOOD IS POWERFUL."
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE
REMINDING OURSELVES TODAY.
* I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR *
* IN NUMBERS TOO BIG TO IGNORE *
* AND I KNOW TOO MUCH **
* TO GO BACK AND PRETEND... *
Narrator: FEMINISM WAS NOW A MASS MOVEMENT.
Group: EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK.
WHEN DO WE WANT IT ? NOW !
* NO ONE'S EVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN AGAIN... *
Narrator: WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN ACTIVISTS FOR DECADES
RETURNED TO THEIR HOMES AND THEIR WORK
WITH NEW ENERGY AND VISION.
* YES, I'VE PAID THE PRICE *
* BUT LOOK HOW MUCH I'VE GAINED *
* IF I HAVE TO, I CAN DO ANYTHING... *
Narrator: WORKING IN HER HUSBAND'S CONGRESSIONAL OFFICE
ARVONNE FRASER WAS AT THE CENTER
OF A NEW PUSH FOR LEGISLATIVE CHANGE.
I BEGAN TO MEET OTHER WOMEN ON CAPITOL HILL
WHO WERE INTERESTED IN THE--
LET'S SAY, INCIPIENT, IN A WAY, FEMINIST MOVEMENT.
WE WERE INSIDE THE STRUCTURE
BUT WE ALSO HAD ALL KINDS OF ELECTED OFFICIALS
WHO SENSED THIS MOVEMENT AND WERE RESPONSIVE.
AND SO, WE BEGAN A KIND OF FEMINIST UNDERGROUND
RIGHT THERE, PRETTY MUCH, ON THE HOUSE SIDE OF CAPITOL HILL.
Narrator: FEMINISM DID NOT REMAIN UNDERGROUND FOR LONG.
PUBLIC POLICY ACTIVISTS
SCORED IMPRESSIVE GAINS IN SUCH AREAS
AS EDUCATION AND HEALTH
MILITARY AND SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS
FINANCIAL CREDIT, REPRODUCTION AND EMPLOYMENT.
A KEY STRATEGY WAS TO USE THE COURTS
TO CHALLENGE STATE LAWS THAT PLACED LIMITATIONS
ON WHAT WOMEN COULD DO IN THE WORKPLACE.
Eastwood: I WORKED WITH SEVERAL OTHER WOMEN ATTORNEYS
ON CASES CHALLENGING THE STATE PROTECTIVE LAWS UNDER TITLE VII.
Narrator: ONE CASE WAS AGAINST THE COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY
WHICH EXCLUDED WOMEN FROM ANY JOB
THAT REQUIRED LIFTING 35 POUNDS OR MORE.
WELL, THE COURT RECORD IN THE TRIAL OF THAT CASE
ITSELF, WEIGHED 38.6 POUNDS
AND WE HAD TO CARRY IT UP NUMEROUS STEPS
TO THE POST OFFICE TO SEND IT BACK TO THE COURT.
Narrator: THE COURTS RULED THAT COLGATE-PALMOLIVE
AND OTHER EMPLOYERS THAT RESTRICTED JOBS BY SEX
WERE VIOLATING FEDERAL LAW.
AS BARRIERS TO EQUAL EMPLOYMENT FELL
WOMEN TACKLED OTHER ISSUES.
IN 1972, CONGRESS PASSED THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
AND SENT IT TO THE STATES FOR RATIFICATION.
THE FOLLOWING YEAR, FEMINIST ATTORNEYS
WON A LANDMARK SUPREME COURT CASE LEGALIZING ABORTION.
YOU FELT LIKE YOU WERE PART OF A MOVEMENT
THAT WAS GOING TO CHANGE THINGS FOR ALL TIME FOR WOMEN.
Munts: YOU WERE FEELING IT EVERY PLACE.
AND I THINK THE MOST STRIKING THING TO ME
WAS HAPPENING WITH MY OWN MOTHER.
SHE HAD GRADUATED
WITH A MASTER'S IN CHEMISTRY
FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
AND COULDN'T GET A JOB IN A LABORATORY.
I NEVER HEARD HER TALK ABOUT THAT
UNTIL IT BECAME POSSIBLE FOR HER TO TALK ABOUT IT
TO SAY, "THIS HAPPENED TO ME."
AND THAT MEANT THAT SHE WAS ABLE TO BE SUPPORTIVE
OF MY RUNNING FOR THE LEGISLATURE
IN A WAY THAT MY FATHER ACTUALLY WASN'T.
HE WAS, "WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN ?"
MY MOTHER SAID, "THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU.
THAT'S A WONDERFUL THING FOR YOU TO DO, MARY LOU."
WOMEN BECAME SUPPORTIVE OF THEIR DAUGHTERS
WHERE THEY WERE FEARFUL BEFORE
THAT THEIR DAUGHTERS, IF THEY TRIED IT
THEY WOULDN'T BE SUCCESSFUL.
SHE THOUGHT, "AH, THIS TIME, SHE MAY BE SUCCESSFUL."
Narrator: AT AGE 46, MARY LOU MUNTS ENTERED LAW SCHOOL
AND WAS LATER ELECTED TO THE WISCONSIN STATE ASSEMBLY.
ONE OF ONLY SEVEN WOMEN IN THE ASSEMBLY
SHE PAID PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE CONCERNS
FEMINISTS WERE RAISING.
Boyer: WHEN I'D GO OUT
AND TALK TO TRADITIONAL WOMEN'S GROUPS
LIKE AN A.A.U.W. CHAPTER OR A JUNIOR LEAGUE
OR MOSTLY WOMEN NOT EMPLOYED OUTSIDE THE HOME
I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW THE PROBLEM IS
THAT YOU KEEP WORKING FOR NOTHING.
YOU DO ALL THESE HOMEMAKER TASKS
AND THEY ARE NOT ACCOUNTED IN THE G.N.P.
AND ARE NOT APPRECIATED, NOT BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE VALUE
BUT BECAUSE YOU DON'T GET PAID FOR THEM.
SO, WHAT YOU REALLY OUGHT TO DO
IS YOU SHOULD STOP DOING YOUR OWN HOUSEWORK.
GO NEXT DOOR AND DO YOUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSEWORK.
AND SHE WILL PAY YOU
AND PUT MONEY IN YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY ACCOUNT
SO THAT WHEN YOU RETIRE
YOU'LL HAVE CLAIM TO YOUR OWN SOCIAL SECURITY.
AND THEN, SHE SHOULD COME AND WORK IN YOUR HOUSE
AND YOU PAY HER AND PAY HER SOCIAL SECURITY
AND GIVE HER THE BENEFITS OF EMPLOYMENT.
AND THEN, WE WILL HAVE A SYSTEM
IN WHICH HOMEMAKING IS APPRECIATED
AND VALUED AND RECOGNIZED
FOR WHAT IT CONTRIBUTES TO THE ECONOMY OF OUR SOCIETY.
Narrator: MARY LOU MUNTS SPONSORED LEGISLATION
TO REFORM WISCONSIN'S PROPERTY LAWS.
THE REFORM WOULD REDEFINE MARRIAGE
AS AN ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP OF EQUALS
AND MAKE WISCONSIN THE FIRST STATE
TO CHANGE FROM A SEPARATE PROPERTY
TO A MARITAL PROPERTY SYSTEM.
Munts: BANKERS, ACCOUNTANTS
REAL ESTATE PEOPLE--
ALL OF THE GROUPS THAT LOBBIED THE LEGISLATURE--
WHEN THEY UNDERSTOOD WHAT THIS BILL MEANT
WERE JUST SHOCKED.
REAL HOSTILITY--
IT MADE FEMINISTS OUT OF WOMEN WHO, I THINK
JUST THOUGHT THEY WERE DOING
A GOOD "LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS" BILL.
THEY DIDN'T KNOW THEY HAD GOTTEN INTO SOMETHING
THAT WAS AS FUNDAMENTAL, I THINK
IN TERMS OF INGRAINED ATTITUDES TOWARD WOMEN.
Narrator: AFTER DEBATING THE BILL FOR THREE SESSIONS
THE STATE ASSEMBLY PASSED THE MARITAL PROPERTY REFORM ACT.
WHAT IT MEANS IS THAT THIS HOMEMAKING ROLE
BECAME EQUALLY VALUABLE.
AND YOU KNOW, THAT'S A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE.
YOU'RE NOT WORKING FOR PAY.
AND YET, YOU ARE CONTRIBUTING EQUALLY TO THE MARRIAGE.
MARITAL PROPERTY SAYS THAT "WHAT YOU ACCUMULATE TOGETHER
IS EQUALLY SHARED, REGARDLESS OF ROLE."
THAT IS A REALLY REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT.
Narrator: WOMEN IN NEWFOUND POSITIONS OF POWER
WERE MAKING FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE.
MANY FOUND THEY PAID A PERSONAL PRICE.
FOR EXAMPLE, A WOMAN WHOM I HAD KNOWN FOR MANY YEARS--
I WAS WALKING DOWN THE STREET ONE DAY
AND SHE WAS APPROACHING ME.
AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, SHE STOPPED DEAD IN HER TRACKS
AND CROSSED THE STREET.
AND I REALIZED SHE WAS NOT DOING THAT
FOR ANY OTHER REASON BUT TO AVOID ME.
AND SO, I CALLED HER UP ON THE TELEPHONE
AND I SAID, "IS THERE SOME PROBLEM ?
HAVE I DONE SOMETHING TO OFFEND YOU?"
SHE SAID, "OH, NO."
AND SHE PRACTICALLY WAS WHISPERING INTO THE PHONE.
SHE SAYS, "MY HUSBAND SAYS
"I HAD BETTER NOT TALK TO THAT GENE BOYER ANYMORE
"BECAUSE SHE HAS SOME MIGHTY WEIRD IDEAS.
AND I DON'T WANT HER FILLING YOUR HEAD WITH THEM."
Narrator: AS FEMINISTS PUSHED FOR NEW RIGHTS
THEY LEARNED THAT SISTERHOOD WAS POWERFUL
BUT IT WAS NOT SIMPLE.
INEQUALITIES AMONG WOMEN OFTEN CREATED CONFLICT.
TWO OF MY BIG CONCERNS
HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE QUESTION OF MINIMUM WAGE AND EQUAL PAY.
BECAUSE ON MINIMUM WAGE
TWO-THIRDS OF THE WORKING PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY
AFFECTED BY THAT LAW ARE WOMEN.
AND A GOOD SHARE OF THEM ARE WOMEN WHO REALLY HAVE TO WORK.
THEY HAVE NO CHOICE ABOUT IT.
SO, THAT HAS BEEN ONE OF MY PRIMARY ISSUES.
BUT IT REALLY HAS NOT BEEN THE BIG ISSUE
OF THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT.
Wyatt: THERE WERE THINGS
LIKE THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT.
IT WAS HARD SELLING THAT TO SOME WOMEN.
YOU HAD SOME OF THEM WHO BELIEVED IN ABORTION.
YOU HAVE SOME OF THEM WHO BELIEVED IN RACISM.
THEY REALLY WERE RACISTS.
THEY DID NOT WANT TO SEE BLACK AND WHITE WOMEN TOGETHER.
THERE WERE SOME WHO DID NOT BELIEVE
IN WOMEN OF ALL ECONOMIC CLASSES SHARING TOGETHER.
I CAN RECALL, IN ONE OF OUR MEETINGS
SOME OF THE WOMEN WERE CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE
OF POOR WOMEN ON WELFARE.
AND SO, THEY TOOK OFF TO SAY
"I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE INVITED WOMEN ON WELFARE
TO ATTEND THIS MEETING."
AND EVERYBODY LOOKED AROUND.
SOME LOOKED AROUND WITH GUILT.
YOU KNOW, IT'S A GOOD IDEA, BUT NOBODY THOUGHT OF IT;
WE SHOULD HAVE INVITED WOMEN WHO ARE ON WELFARE.
A SISTER STOOD UP AND SAID
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WOMEN ON WELFARE ARE NOT HERE ?"
SHE SAID, "WHAT DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO LOOK LIKE ?
WE'RE HERE."
Group: EVERY WOMAN, JOIN OUR RANKS
EVERY WOMAN, JOIN OUR RANKS...
I THINK THE CONFLICT AND CONTROVERSY
WITHIN THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT WAS, ON THE WHOLE, VERY HEALTHY.
THE SPLIT-OFFS ON THESE VARIOUS ISSUES
CAUSED A LOT MORE WOMEN
TO BECOME INVOLVED IN THE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS.
AND IT ALSO-- SOME OF THE MORE CONTROVERSIAL IDEAS
SOME OF THE MORE RADICAL ONES
CAUSED OTHER WOMEN WHO WERE MORE CONSERVATIVE IN THEIR APPROACH
TO RETHINK AND AT LEAST THINK ABOUT THESE OTHER ISSUES.
Narrator: THE NUMBER OF WOMEN COMMITTED TO FEMINISM
WAS GROWING STEADILY.
AS THE UNITED STATES PREPARED TO CELEBRATE
ITS 200th ANNIVERSARY AS A NATION
MOVEMENT LEADERS SEIZED UPON THE BICENTENNIAL
AS AN OCCASION TO WIDEN THEIR IMPACT.
Doherty: IT HAD BEEN, YOU KNOW, WELL OVER TEN YEARS
SINCE THE DYNAMISM OF THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT
YOU KNOW, HAD TAKEN OFF AGAIN.
AND SO, WE WANTED TO KEEP THAT MOMENTUM GOING.
Narrator: IN 1975, BELLA ABZUG AND OTHER CONGRESSWOMEN
CALLED FOR A NATIONAL INITIATIVE
TO ASSESS THE PROGRE WOMEN HAD MADE
AND TO FIND WAYS TO REMOVE THE REMAINING OBSTACLES
TO THEIR FULL PARTICIPATION IN AMERICAN LIFE.
THIS IS A GREAT COUNTRY.
WE THINK IT'S A MARVELOUS DEMOCRACY.
IT'S A GREAT CONSTITUTION UNDER WHICH WE FUNCTION.
OUR FOREFATHERS DID A GREAT JOB IN DRAFTING IT
EXCEPT, THAT THEY FORGOT ALL ABOUT OUR FOREMOTHERS.
Narrator: KATHRYN CLARENBACH TOOK ON THE TWO-YEAR TASK
OF ORGANIZING MEETINGS IN EVERY STATE AND TERRITORY
TO SELECT DELEGATES AND PROPOSE RESOLUTIONS
FOR A PLAN OF ACTION
TO BE DEBATED AT A NATIONAL GATHERING IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
Clarenbach: CONGRESS PASSED LEGISLATION
WHICH CALLS FOR A NATIONAL WOMEN'S CONFERENCE
TO BRING TOGETHER WOMEN FROM ALL OVER THE COUNTRY--
PEOPLE OF ALL RACES
ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS, RELIGIONS, AGES
GEOGRAPHIC AREAS, ECONOMIC LEVELS--
WITH FUNDING TO MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR LOW-INCOME WOMEN
TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH...
YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BASIC PRECEPT OF A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY
THAT NO ONE SHALL BE ABOVE THE LAW
AND THAT NO ONE SHALL BE TREATED DIFFERENTLY
BECAUSE OF EXTRANEOUS FACTORS, BECAUSE OF ANY FACTOR.
Narrator: IN ALL, 20,000 WOMEN
ATTENDED THE HOUSTON CONFERENCE IN 1977.
DOHERTY, WYATT, HAENER, FRASER, MUNTS AND BOYER WERE THERE
AS THE TORCH, WHICH HAD BEEN CARRIED ACROSS THE NATION
ARRIVED TO MARK THE OPENING OF THE HISTORIC EVENT.
( cheering )
Coretta Scott King: WE ARE HERE TO MOVE HISTORY FORWARD...
DESPITE SOME GAINS MADE IN THE PAST 200 YEARS
MAN-MADE BARRIERS, LAWS
SOCIAL CUSTOMS AND PREJUDICES
CONTINUE TO KEEP A MAJORITY OF WOMEN IN AN INFERIOR POSITION
WITHOUT FULL CONTROL OF OUR LIVES AND OUR BODIES.
WE DEMAND, AS A HUMAN RIGHT
A FULL VOICE AND ROLE FOR WOMEN
IN DETERMINING THE DESTINY OF OUR WORLD
OUR NATION, OUR FAMILIES AND OUR INDIVIDUAL LIVES.
( cheers and applause )
Munts: THE KINDS OF WOMEN THERE--
OUR OWN DELEGATION, THE DIVERSITY--
TO BE THERE WITH THIS KIND OF GROUP
IT WAS JUST DYNAMITE.
IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST MOVING EXPERIENCES OF MY LIFE.
Narrator: FOR THREE DAYS, THE DELEGATES DEBATED THE 26 PLANKS
OF THE PROPOSED PLAN OF ACTION.
THEY VOTED TO PROMOTE FEDERALLY FUNDED CHILD CARE
ACCURATE PORTRAYAL OF WOMEN IN THE MEDIA
SERVICES FOR OLDER AND DISABLED WOMEN
AND THE ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE.
Wyatt: THERE WAS A LOT OF LEARNING THERE--
MEETING AND SHARING WITH WOMEN WHO WERE NOT ON YOUR SIDE
BUT TRYING TO GET THEM TO UNDERSTAND--
HOW YOU WIN SUPPORT AND HOW YOU LOSE SUPPORT.
Narrator: ON THEECOND DAY, PROCEEDINGS GREW TUMULTUOUS
AS A CAUCUS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN, LATINA
NATIVE-AMERICAN AND ASIAN-AMERICAN WOMEN
SOUGHT TO SUBSTITUTE THEIR OWN PLANK
ON MINORITY WOMEN'S ISSUES.
THE DELEGATES TO THIS CONFERENCE
ARE A PRIORI, NOT OF A SINGLE MIND.
WE SHOULD NOT BE OF A SINGLE MIND.
( applause )
NO ONE PERSON--
NO ONE PERSON AND NO SUBGROUP AT THIS CONFERENCE
HAS THE RIGHT ANSWER.
( applause )
Narrator: DELEGATES CELEBRATED PASSAGE OF THE PLANK
AS A SIGN THAT, "FOR THE FIRST TIME"
MINORITY WOMEN WERE PRESENT IN SUCH A CRITICAL MASS
THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO DEFINE THEIR OWN NEEDS
AND FORGE THEIR OWN COALITIONS.
Wyatt: WE REPRESENTED MILLIONS AND MILLIONS
AND MILLIONS OF OTHER WOMEN.
AND SO, IT WAS THRILLING
AND THERE WERE MOMENTS OF FRUSTRATION AND DISGUST.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE LEARNED HOW TO DISAGREE
AND EVEN FIGHT ON THE FLOOR.
( gavel pounding )
Woman: PLEASE BE QUIET...
ONE OF THE MOST DIVISIVE ISSUES
AT THE WOMEN'S CONFERENCE IN 1977
WAS THE QUESTION OF GAY AND LESBIAN RIGHTS.
THERE WAS A WHOLE SECTION OF WOMEN THAT I CAME TO THINK OF
AS THE "PURSED-LIPS CROWD," BECAUSE THEY SAT--
AND IT WAS VISUALLY OBVIOUS
THAT THEY COULD HARDLY THINK ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
Narrator: THE DELEGATES HAD TO APPROVE OR REJECT A PLANK
SUPPORTING LEGISLATION TO END DISCRIMINATION
ON THE BASIS OF SEXUAL PREFERENCE.
Boyer: AND THERE WAS A WOMAN
WHO HAD BEEN SITTING AMONG THE PURSED-LIPS CROWD
WHO I HAD SOME DIALOGUE WITH AT ONE POINT.
AND SHE WAS PARTICULARLY TURNED OFF BY THIS ISSUE.
BUT AS THE PROPOSITION CAME BEFORE THE BODY--
AND TIMIDLY, AT FIRST, ONE HAND AFTER ANOTHER WAS RAISED
IN SUPPORT OF THIS ISSUE BEING INCLUDED IN THE PLAN.
I SAW HER RAISE HER HAND.
AND I THOUGHT THIS IS REALLY A TREMENDOUS CHANGE
IN THE NATIONAL CONSCIOUSNESS.
Narrator: THE VOTE WAS AN HISTORIC ENDORSEMENT OF LESBIAN RIGHTS
AS A FEMINIST ISSUE.
THE PLANK BECAME PART OF THE CONFERENCE REPORT
THE SPIRIT OF HOUSTON
SENT TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
HUNDREDS OF WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS
ADOPTED THE PLAN AND PLEDGED TO WORK FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION.
Munts: IT WAS AN AGENDA SETTING FOR WOMEN
THAT WAS ENORMOUSLY IMPRESSIVE.
SOMETIMES, YOU NEED TO SORT OF CELEBRATE
WHERE YOU'VE COME AND WHERE YOU'RE GOING.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT HOUSTON DID.
Haener: IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL CONFERENCE.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF THERE
WERE REALLY GOOD RESOLUTIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.
THEY HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN IMPLEMENTED YET
BUT THEY WERE GOOD.
Doherty: IT BEGAN TO BE CLEAR TO US
THAT WE WERE HEADED INTO A WHOLE NEW PERIOD FOR WOMEN.
THERE WAS BEGINNING TO BE SOME SERIOUS OUTSPOKEN OPPOSITION
TO THE PROGRESS THAT WOMEN WERE BEGINNING TO MAKE.
AND THAT BACKLASH IS, IN ITSELF AN INDICATION OF OUR SUCCESS.
THE FACT THAT WE REALLY HAVE GOTTEN PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND--
WE ARE STARTING TO GET THE INSTITUTIONS TO CHANGE.
AND BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING, PEOPLE ARE AFRAID
BECAUSE WE'RE MOVING INTO THE UNKNOWN.
AND WHAT IS THIS UNKNOWN ?
THIS UNKNOWN IS THE EGALITARIAN SOCIETY
IN WHICH WOMEN REALLY CARRY HALF THE SKY.
* WE'RE GONNA KEEP ON WALKING FORWARD *
* KEEP ON WALKING FORWARD *
* NEVER TURNING BACK *
* NEVER TURNING BACK... *
Narrator: THE MIDWESTERN WOMEN WHO HELPED PAVE THE WAY TO HOUSTON
CONTINUED, STEP BY STEP, TO ADVANCE WOMEN'S INTERESTS.
GENE BOYER FOUNDED A COALITION
TO EXPAND OPPORTUNITIES FOR WISCONSIN BUSINESSWOMEN.
AS DEAN OF ALVERNO COLLEGE IN MILWAUKEE
SISTER AUSTIN DOHERTY DEVELOPED
A NATIONALLY CELEBRATED CURRICULUM FOR WOMEN.
MARY EASTWOOD WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT
OF THE NATIONAL WOMAN'S PARTY
AND REMAINED COMMITTED TO THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT
WHICH HAS NEVER BEEN RATIFIED.
ARVONNE FRASER BECAME A TOP OFFICIAL
IN THE U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
WHERE SHE ADVOCATED WOMEN'S INTERESTS
IN THE MAKING OF FOREIGN POLICY.
DOROTHY HAENER SERVED
ON THE MICHIGAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.
AND AS A MEMBER OF THE OLDER WOMEN'S LEAGUE
HELPED SECURE EQUAL PENSION BENEFITS FOR WOMEN.
AFTER SERVING SIX TERMS IN THE WISCONSIN STATE ASSEMBLY
MARY LOU MUNTS BECAME THE FIRST WOMAN
APPOINTED TO THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION.
DORIS THOM REMAINED INVOLVED
IN THE WOMEN'S COMMITTEE OF HER LOCAL UNION
AND WAS PROUD TO HELP SELECT THE FIRST WOMAN MINISTER
OF HER CHURCH IN JANESVILLE, WISCONSIN.
ADDIE WYATT BECAME INTERNATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT OF HER UNION
AND VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN.
SHE AND HER HUSBAND ARE CO-PASTORS
OF THE VERNON PARK CHURCH OF GOD IN CHICAGO.
* WE'RE GONNA WORK FOR CHANGE TOGETHER *
* WORK FOR CHANGE TOGETHER *
* NEVER TURNING BACK *
* WE'RE GONNA KEEP ON WALKING FORWARD *
* KEEP ON WALKING FORWARD *
* NEVER TURNING BACK *
* NEVER TURNING BACK... *
FUNDING FOR STEP BY STEP
WAS PROVIDED BY THE HILLDALE FUND
THE ANONYMOUS FUND
THE DIVISION OF CONTINUING STUDIES
THE HUMANISTIC FUND
ALL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON
AND BY THE WISCONSIN SESQUICENTENNIAL COMMISSION
THE EVJUE FOUNDATION
AND THE WISCONSIN HUMANITIES COUNCIL.