Politicking Politely: Well-Behaved Women Making a Difference
I am excited to announce that I have signed a book contact for my project “Politicking Politely: Well-Behaved Women Making a Difference in the 1960s and 1970s.”
This book will detail the relatively unknown stories of two female political operatives who worked behind the scenes with five female journalists to advance women’s rights during the 1950s and ‘60s. The fight for equality that became more visible in the 1960s had a foundation that began in the 1950s. It was a mix of women in government and women in the news media – at times going back and forth in those positions. The book project is based on an examination of the personal papers and oral histories of these women and will provide insight and context to their letters and voices. These particular women were chosen because of their interactions with each other as they rallied around a common cause and because their names were overshadowed by other women’s liberation leaders.
While women’s liberation leaders Gloria Steinem, Bella Abzug and Betty Friedan were household names, the women in this book made a difference because they worked behind the scenes. Little is known about Catherine East, for example, because she worked best behind the scenes. She avoided attention and worked to connect people. She was not covered by the media but she planted stories in the media through Vera Glaser. Likewise, outside of Wisconsin, there is little mention of Kathryn “Kay” Clarenbach despite her leadership of the National Organization for Women. It was Betty Freidan who received the recognition. Similarly, Clarenbach’s role as executive director of the 1977 National Women’s Conference in Houston was overlooked by Bella Abzug’s role as presiding officer.
Several women’s page journalists will be included: Marie Anderson, Dorothy Jurney, Marjorie Paxson and Vera Glaser.
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