Veteran Feminists of America
@veteranfeminists.bsky.social
The VFA Pioneer Histories Project is the personal history of the Second Wave women’s movement – one story at a time. https://veteranfeministsofamerica.org/
Beverley McDonald, interim dir., MI Legal Serv.; MI deleg. to First Nat'l Women’s Conf., 1977; exec. dir., MI League for Human Serv.; MI Blue Cross Blue Shield Board, Consumer Advoc. “I don’t see the problems melting away. If anything, social problems are more complex than we thought in the ‘60s.”
December 31, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Beverley McDonald, interim dir., MI Legal Serv.; MI deleg. to First Nat'l Women’s Conf., 1977; exec. dir., MI League for Human Serv.; MI Blue Cross Blue Shield Board, Consumer Advoc. “I don’t see the problems melting away. If anything, social problems are more complex than we thought in the ‘60s.”
“We didn’t know about employment complaints...but we wanted to let station management know we were not satisfied with our low paying, no responsibility jobs.” – Mary Catherine Kilday (1933-1999). On behalf of the women employed at WRC-TV, she filed formal complaints with the FCC, EEOC & Labor Dept.
December 29, 2025 at 3:22 AM
“We didn’t know about employment complaints...but we wanted to let station management know we were not satisfied with our low paying, no responsibility jobs.” – Mary Catherine Kilday (1933-1999). On behalf of the women employed at WRC-TV, she filed formal complaints with the FCC, EEOC & Labor Dept.
“Few people realize how important women are to the economy of the country.” – Bessie Margolin, U.S. Department of Labor attorney from 1939 to 1972, arguing numerous cases before the Supreme Court. One of the original founders of National Organization for Women (NOW). Find out more on our website.
December 19, 2025 at 4:07 AM
“Few people realize how important women are to the economy of the country.” – Bessie Margolin, U.S. Department of Labor attorney from 1939 to 1972, arguing numerous cases before the Supreme Court. One of the original founders of National Organization for Women (NOW). Find out more on our website.
“Our rights are continuously endangered. The work is never done.” – Judy Lewis, public hlth. sociol.; Prof. Emer., Commun. Med. and Ped., Faculty of Med., Univ. of CT Hlth Ctr. Found. mbr and pres., Glob. Hlth. Ed. Consort.; APHA MCH Section Int'l Hlth Comm; mbr, Mgt Comm, Wmn and Hlth Task Force.
December 17, 2025 at 3:19 AM
“Our rights are continuously endangered. The work is never done.” – Judy Lewis, public hlth. sociol.; Prof. Emer., Commun. Med. and Ped., Faculty of Med., Univ. of CT Hlth Ctr. Found. mbr and pres., Glob. Hlth. Ed. Consort.; APHA MCH Section Int'l Hlth Comm; mbr, Mgt Comm, Wmn and Hlth Task Force.
Betty Prashker (1925-2024), pioneering literary editor, was one of the first women with the power to acquire books and published such classics as Kate Millett’s Sexual Politics and Susan Faludi’s Backlash. She helped oversee the careers of Jean Auel, Dominick Dunne and Erik Larson, and others.
December 15, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Betty Prashker (1925-2024), pioneering literary editor, was one of the first women with the power to acquire books and published such classics as Kate Millett’s Sexual Politics and Susan Faludi’s Backlash. She helped oversee the careers of Jean Auel, Dominick Dunne and Erik Larson, and others.
“I see myself as poet, critic and feminist, hoping each ‘self’ enriches the others…As a feminist, I try to keep my priorities clear without sermonizing.” – Sandra Gilbert, Prof. Emer. of Eng. at UC Davis, wrote fem. lit. crit., fem. theory and psychoanalytic crit.; co-author, Madwoman in the Attic.
December 12, 2025 at 4:24 AM
“I see myself as poet, critic and feminist, hoping each ‘self’ enriches the others…As a feminist, I try to keep my priorities clear without sermonizing.” – Sandra Gilbert, Prof. Emer. of Eng. at UC Davis, wrote fem. lit. crit., fem. theory and psychoanalytic crit.; co-author, Madwoman in the Attic.
Thelma Stovall served in KY state government for more than two decades - 3 terms as secretary of state, 2 as treasurer and 3 in the House of Representatives. Dedicated to organized labor and the women’s movement, as acting governor in 1978, she vetoed the resolution to rescind KY's ERA ratification.
December 10, 2025 at 3:29 AM
Thelma Stovall served in KY state government for more than two decades - 3 terms as secretary of state, 2 as treasurer and 3 in the House of Representatives. Dedicated to organized labor and the women’s movement, as acting governor in 1978, she vetoed the resolution to rescind KY's ERA ratification.
“We do not grow old. We become old by not growing.” – Dr. Ida Fisher Davidoff, family therapy pioneer, marriage counselor, therapist, author, expert on again and a founder of Women’s Place in Fairfield County CT. Find out more at veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-...
December 8, 2025 at 2:49 AM
“We do not grow old. We become old by not growing.” – Dr. Ida Fisher Davidoff, family therapy pioneer, marriage counselor, therapist, author, expert on again and a founder of Women’s Place in Fairfield County CT. Find out more at veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-...
"I am what I am today - a civil rights lawyer - because of Robert Kennedy. [He] said every individual can care and everyone can make a difference...if I haven't changed the world, at Least I've changed a little piece of it.” - Debra Millenson, 1988.; senior trial attorney, U.S. Dept. of Labor.
December 5, 2025 at 2:47 AM
"I am what I am today - a civil rights lawyer - because of Robert Kennedy. [He] said every individual can care and everyone can make a difference...if I haven't changed the world, at Least I've changed a little piece of it.” - Debra Millenson, 1988.; senior trial attorney, U.S. Dept. of Labor.
Vera Katz was first woman Speaker of the OR House of Representatives. Said Vera, “The most important bill was my first bill - the extension of the Civil Rights Act to cover gender and sexual orientation…It was a civil rights issue and we realized as early as 1973 that it was important to include.”
December 3, 2025 at 2:29 AM
Vera Katz was first woman Speaker of the OR House of Representatives. Said Vera, “The most important bill was my first bill - the extension of the Civil Rights Act to cover gender and sexual orientation…It was a civil rights issue and we realized as early as 1973 that it was important to include.”
Betty Goldman Schlein (1931-2018), political activist, worked to empower women, providing them with lobbying and organization skills. Head of political action committee of Long Island NOW, she lobbied for the ERA and helped create movements for women’s equality and against domestic violence.
December 1, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Betty Goldman Schlein (1931-2018), political activist, worked to empower women, providing them with lobbying and organization skills. Head of political action committee of Long Island NOW, she lobbied for the ERA and helped create movements for women’s equality and against domestic violence.
Shirley Green Marvin helped found the Baton Rouge chapter of the NWPC; worked on ERA, lobbying a highly resistant LA legislature; co-chaired the IWY conf. comm. for LA. “To give LA women…an opp. to be better informed about policies and issues, to id. areas of concern and explore/propose solutions.”
November 28, 2025 at 3:24 AM
Shirley Green Marvin helped found the Baton Rouge chapter of the NWPC; worked on ERA, lobbying a highly resistant LA legislature; co-chaired the IWY conf. comm. for LA. “To give LA women…an opp. to be better informed about policies and issues, to id. areas of concern and explore/propose solutions.”
Trina Robbins designed clothing worn by some of the most popular musicians of the 60s. In the 70s, she drew comics (i.e. Wonder Woman), but her characters were threatening to male cartoonists of the time. She edited women’s comics anthologies, accentuating their explicitly feminist content.
November 26, 2025 at 3:10 AM
Trina Robbins designed clothing worn by some of the most popular musicians of the 60s. In the 70s, she drew comics (i.e. Wonder Woman), but her characters were threatening to male cartoonists of the time. She edited women’s comics anthologies, accentuating their explicitly feminist content.
Mildred Dresselhaus, PhD, “Queen of Carbon Science” (1930-2017) – physicist, materials scientist, nanotechnologist – was renowned for her efforts to promote the cause of women in science. The first woman to secure a full professorship at M.I.T., 1968. veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-...
November 24, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Mildred Dresselhaus, PhD, “Queen of Carbon Science” (1930-2017) – physicist, materials scientist, nanotechnologist – was renowned for her efforts to promote the cause of women in science. The first woman to secure a full professorship at M.I.T., 1968. veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-...
Barbara Babcock graduated from Yale Law School in 1963; 4% of law students were women. The term sex discrimination had not been invented but the practice was very real. She was the first director of the Public Defender Service in Washington and taught the first courses in "Women and the Law."
November 21, 2025 at 4:01 AM
Barbara Babcock graduated from Yale Law School in 1963; 4% of law students were women. The term sex discrimination had not been invented but the practice was very real. She was the first director of the Public Defender Service in Washington and taught the first courses in "Women and the Law."
Clara Johnson was promoted to chemist at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in the 1940s. She had to sign a contract promising to resign if her male predecessor came back from the war. That’s the way things were for women. It prompted her to fight as hard as she could for women’s equal rights.
November 19, 2025 at 2:48 AM
Clara Johnson was promoted to chemist at the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in the 1940s. She had to sign a contract promising to resign if her male predecessor came back from the war. That’s the way things were for women. It prompted her to fight as hard as she could for women’s equal rights.
“Students want more voice in the operation of the college and planning of their own lives. They seek a greater range of choices in their educational and living patterns.” - Dr. Walton, 1974 - Dean of Women, Dean of Students, VP for Student Affairs at Pomona College. veteranfeministsofamerica.org
November 17, 2025 at 2:28 AM
“Students want more voice in the operation of the college and planning of their own lives. They seek a greater range of choices in their educational and living patterns.” - Dr. Walton, 1974 - Dean of Women, Dean of Students, VP for Student Affairs at Pomona College. veteranfeministsofamerica.org
Eunice “Tootsie” Holland (1931-2023): “Today, I’m going to mourn, and tomorrow I’ll start working on trying to get a Women’s Equity Act here in South Carolina.” - Tootsie Holland after seeing the results of the presidential election on November 8, 2016. veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-...
November 14, 2025 at 2:15 AM
Eunice “Tootsie” Holland (1931-2023): “Today, I’m going to mourn, and tomorrow I’ll start working on trying to get a Women’s Equity Act here in South Carolina.” - Tootsie Holland after seeing the results of the presidential election on November 8, 2016. veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-...
Millie Chatzinoff was head of the Long Island, NY NOW marriage and divorce committee, established in 1968. The committee offered legal advice and referrals to women going through divorces. It also worked to change existing divorce laws that put women at a disadvantage in the divorce courtroom.
November 12, 2025 at 2:34 AM
Millie Chatzinoff was head of the Long Island, NY NOW marriage and divorce committee, established in 1968. The committee offered legal advice and referrals to women going through divorces. It also worked to change existing divorce laws that put women at a disadvantage in the divorce courtroom.
"I believe women are the future. Feminism instilled in me a different ideology and way of looking at the world." – Torie Osborn, Northern CA Dir., NOW; Exec. Dir., LA Gay & Lesbian Ctr.; Exec. Dir., Nat’l Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Find out more at veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-...
November 10, 2025 at 2:38 AM
"I believe women are the future. Feminism instilled in me a different ideology and way of looking at the world." – Torie Osborn, Northern CA Dir., NOW; Exec. Dir., LA Gay & Lesbian Ctr.; Exec. Dir., Nat’l Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Find out more at veteranfeministsofamerica.org/vfa-pioneer-...
Artist, educator, member of Women’s Caucus for Art, Marilyn Lanfear was a visual storyteller who translated personal family stories into a common mythology of family generational connections. She loaded her images with irony and symbolism that couldn’t be expressed with words. More on our website.
November 7, 2025 at 3:41 AM
Artist, educator, member of Women’s Caucus for Art, Marilyn Lanfear was a visual storyteller who translated personal family stories into a common mythology of family generational connections. She loaded her images with irony and symbolism that couldn’t be expressed with words. More on our website.
Doris Quinn was a founding member and past president of Missouri State Women's Political Caucus; member of the Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus; MO. ERA Coalition; MO. Women's Campaign Fund; and member of the American Assoc. of Univer. Women. She served as MO. State Rep., 1975-1976.
November 5, 2025 at 2:57 AM
Doris Quinn was a founding member and past president of Missouri State Women's Political Caucus; member of the Greater Kansas City Women's Political Caucus; MO. ERA Coalition; MO. Women's Campaign Fund; and member of the American Assoc. of Univer. Women. She served as MO. State Rep., 1975-1976.
“As a woman, I struggle to write from my life, to reflect all the difficulties, angers, joys of my existence in a culture that attempts to silence women, or that does not take our work, our words, or our lives seriously.” – Susan Griffin (1943 – 2025), author, essayist, poet, playwright.
November 3, 2025 at 1:09 PM
“As a woman, I struggle to write from my life, to reflect all the difficulties, angers, joys of my existence in a culture that attempts to silence women, or that does not take our work, our words, or our lives seriously.” – Susan Griffin (1943 – 2025), author, essayist, poet, playwright.
“I have been an activist since I became aware of the injustices in the world particularly against the oppression of women, girls and lesbians. I started Woman Sound to provide clear, inexpensive sound for as many movement rallies and events as possible.”–pioneering audio engineer Boden Sandstrom.
October 31, 2025 at 2:06 AM
“I have been an activist since I became aware of the injustices in the world particularly against the oppression of women, girls and lesbians. I started Woman Sound to provide clear, inexpensive sound for as many movement rallies and events as possible.”–pioneering audio engineer Boden Sandstrom.
Wilhelmina “Billie” Holladay, founder and chair of the board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Wash., DC, said, “The goal of the museum is heighten the awareness of the achievements of women and the great things done by women to the point they'll be included in all major collections."
October 29, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Wilhelmina “Billie” Holladay, founder and chair of the board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Wash., DC, said, “The goal of the museum is heighten the awareness of the achievements of women and the great things done by women to the point they'll be included in all major collections."